It just seems like such a waste if so.

Perhaps someone like Bigelow could buy it and take things over,
though the station does not seem that friendly to tourists in
terms of comfort, etc. Of course that would probably be fixed
by whatever private firm eventually acquires it.

If the above scenario I describe pans out, the ISS may have a
future that NASA never really planned on - which is a good thing,
because it means all that hardware and tonnage will become a
real foothold on our access to space, rather than some bloated
symbol and job maker for certain politicians' districts.

And then there's my plan to stick some rockets on one end and
send it to Mars....