On Mon, 22 Aug 2005 18:50:13 -0500, Chris J. wrote
(in article ):

Wasn't one of the early claims regarding it's modular design that
older modules could be replaced with newer ones?

Only theoretically; it was never seriously planned given the cost of
designing and building the first set of modules (costs NASA and the
contractor team realized all along would preclude it in actuality).

I may be in error,
but I thought I recalled that from when the project was in it's
proposal stages. I take it that is no longer the case, if it ever was?

I don't doubt NASA let people believe that it was a possibility - the
reality is that neither ISS nor SSF before it was ever planned to
remove and replace modules. The modules themselves and all equipment
inside them were originally spec'd for 30 year on-orbit operational
lifetimes. This was decreased fo 15 years following the SSF CDR in
1993, mostly as a way to reduced projected final dev and qaul costs and
due to a grudging realization by NASA that a 30 year life was going to
cost way in excess of a 15 year life.

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