However, it would be smart for the US. As has been noted before the ISS is extremely expensive and doesn't seem to have a mission. After 20 years of watching it, it seems the quintessential boondoggle, all expense and no function, born of Cold War competition for political purposes which are now out-of-date. The only purpose appears to be to justify the Shuttle which in turn needs the ISS for it's reason for existence. A real folly a dieu.

I can understand the sentiment behind wanting to keep it. It it nice to know the world could do that. One can sort of hug oneself that it's there, kind of like a 500 acre lawn 1000 miles from human habitation. One hires a few caretakers at enormous expense, ships them out to this isolated place, buys a big mower which has no other use than mowing the lawn, waters it, fertilizes it, and it's all expense with no use. And if one sells or repairs mowers, water or fertilizer, they of course would love the lawn.

In the coming budget crunch, which I believe will be the most painful in living memory, there are other places for NASA funds which may have a return.

Arf