I was thinking about NASA's Moon plan, and it occurs to me the heavy
lifter's
SRBs and first stage should be powerful enough to orbit a deaprture stage
that doesn't have any fuel in it, so it could be oribtted as a dry workshop,
just as the original Skylab was a modified S-IVB stage orbitted by the first
two stages of a Saturn V.

But what to do with it? Two possibilities spring to mind:

1. The neo-Skylab could be built with docking ports at both ends. One end
could be connected to what is now the Shuttle's docking port; a node at the
other end could be used for CEVs to tie on, as well as for further expansion
of the station.

2. It could be orbitted on its own as a second station. Why not? The
military doesn't have just one base. Why should we have just one space
station in orbit.

Also, a departure stage work shop makes an ideal candidate for a habitat
module used on a Mars mission; no way are six people going to be crammed
into something with as much room as my car for almost tow years!

Just a thought. You may now tear it down.

Mike





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