Dear Log,
«This is no minor shift of priorities but a complete change in use of the station. It was sold to American citizens - as well as those of Europe, Canada, and Japan - as a unique scientific laboratory for carrying out research in materials, biology and medicine. Now Nasa is trying to turn it into a zero-gravity gym, an idea that appals many Americans as well as Europeans. 'This impressive facility cannot be allowed to be used simply as a tool for moon and Mars exploration-related research,' Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison recently warned a House hearing on the station.»--"Mars or Bust": "This week's launch of the Discovery space shuttle is the first since the horrific crash of its predecessor, Columbia. Is America's space programme doomed?"
