A Modest Proposal: The Use of the International Space Station as the Crew Exploration Vehicle

A vehicle capable of transferring human crews, modules, rovers, and logistics to and from the moon already exists; it is the International Space Station (ISS). The Station’s orbit can be modified to include the moon at one focus and Earth at the other. At that point, ISS will stay in Earth-moon orbit indefinitely. Exploration crews will ride ISS to the moon where they will drop to the surface or remain in lunar orbit. Robotic explorers and surface and logistics modules will be transported to the moon the same way, while samples will be returned to Earth by the reverse process.