ISS almost finished

No tech talk today, well not internet related anyway. Wanted to talk about ISS, you know the almost
400 metric tons of materials and technology that has been shot into orbit and assembled, the international space station. Well, it is pretty close to completed.

I remember 12 years ago when the first parts were launched thinking if all the countries involved can
set aside petty bickering, focus on the science and work together the world as a whole might just be
able to pull it off, but I had some serious doubts. 12 years is a long time, and it seemed inevitable
that something somewhere somehow would mess it up.  Glad to say I was wrong.

So now that the last major components are together. With only the white picket fence to paint and
the curtains to hang, the world now has a piece of orbital real estate to make use of, and in many
ways that is a tremendous accomplishment.

Of course it's a victorious time for NASA, all the astronauts, flight crews, advisers, manufacturers and
everyone else that had a direct hand in the assembly of ISS, but to me, it is also a victory for humankind.

Proof that together, we can achieve common goals as a unified global work force, and that gives me
something rarely found, hope.