Space:  For the 1st time ever, 8 spacecraft are docked to the International Space Station

This is one of those, ‘We really are living in the future’ milestones that it’s easy to miss because it’s getting routine.

The International Space Station has eight docking ports, and all of them are in use.

There is more action in space than just Elon Musk or and the occasional celebrity tourist launch on Blue Origin.

When did the ISS get so big?  Learning that the ISS has eight docking ports, the assumption might be that several of them are spares.  A spacecraft that reaches the ISS, must have a place to park.  Having a few backups keeps a failure from turning into a crisis. 

Nope, all of them are in use.  There is more action at the ISS than most of us hear about.  Currently, a dozen people are at the ISS, with the average being 8 or 10. 

Four spacecraft are Russian, three are from American companies and one is Japanese.  The astronauts aren’t necessarily from the same country as their vehicle.

Five of the spacecraft are robot cargo haulers.  I didn’t realize we had those.  ‘We’ meaning humans, because two of them are Russian, one is Japanese, and two are American.

That’s good.  To set up a base on the Moon, we’ve got a lot of shit to move.  It’s like relocating the family to another city.  A long drive with the kids and pets is plenty to worry about.  Let a moving company handle the furniture and house crap. 

For people, a trip to the Moon is a three-day ride through dangerous conditions.  Getting them safely to the lunar surface is plenty to worry about.  Let the robotic cargo haulers handle the supplies and equipment.