"
Given the likely vast number of empty shipping containers going from
the U.S. back to China, it is probably cost-effective to install a set
of bunks and a chemical toilet along with food and water into a 40'
container and ship the astronaughts (*) to China that way. Heck, it
might even be roomier than the ISS

There's a Constellation emblem with constellation replaced by cancellation
showing up on the net. Someone should come up with an astronaught mission
patch - some poor soul staring up at the sky with his hands in his pocket
wearing a ball and chain painted to look like the earth.

On your other suggestion - now we could have nightly news coverage as they
try to fix the toilet in the shipping container, while trapped three levels
down and two rows in amongst the empty conatiners on the SS Golden Dragon.
Maybe we could get a package deal 20 seats to ISS and two free seats to the
moon in the frequently launcheded passenger program.

It's amazing how rapidly dark humor arrives on the scene in bad times.