There is already an outpost available
NASA should seriously consider bolting an ion propulsion unit to ISS. It's not really doing anyone much good in low earth orbit, and it's already man rated, proved usable for long durations, plenty of solar power (for the ion propulsion unit). Just boost this guy to lunar orbit, or one of the libation points.
That way, built, usable hardware can do something, rather than just having NASA decide that it should just be burned up in the atmosphere, as they are want to do with "old" stuff.
If NASA was running the country, they would burn down cities that used "old" hardware, instead of doing upgrade-in-place.
It was thinking like NASA that got the USA the Superconducting Supercollider. Oh, wait... They don't have that, do they? They have the Tevatron.. uh, except that's been shut down, 'cause it's "old" and CERN is doing the particle physics research these days.
Take a hint, will you?
Biting the hand that feeds IT
