The workhorse of the space program for decades — the aging US space shuttle — has a cargo bay that measures 15 feet by 59 feet. It can launch the equivalent of six large SUVs 1,000 miles up into lower Earth orbit. That might sound like a lot space, but when NASA is trying to launch a new module for the International Space Station (ISS), that cargo space is a critically limiting factor.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=115037