Plans include opening Mir to manufacturing and possibly using the station as a base for assembling and launching satellites.
How realistic that vision is remains to be seen, especially when most people using the station to get to or from the airport would just be passing through and all the trains would connect under one roof, the Jamaica Terminal.
Mr. Covey, a former astronaut, said that because NASA had talked about using the station as a "safe haven" for astronauts if a damaged shuttle could not be repaired in orbit, his panel would evaluate NASA's preparations to do so.
That means if half of the people using the station were willing to catch rides with others who live nearby, and those who live nearby were willing to drive them, the problem would go away.
It's a poor replacement for the old Penn Station, and meanwhile, the Long Island Rail Road daily commuters, using the station five times a week, are going to see very little change".
With the shuttle's replacement, we can begin using the station more fully than in the years in which it was being assembled and can then focus on building the additional systems needed for America's return to the Moon.
