Give me a Space Garage anyday...

The Shuttle's a go. Astronaut Thomas Reiter, one of the few that beat the staggering 1 to 1000 odds of getting selected by NASA to get his behind blasted into the great beyond, had this enlightenment to offer:

"After years and years of training, I think this is a remarkable moment. I think we all are confident our launch will signify the continuation of assembly of the station, returning to a three-man crew and utilizing the station for its (intended) purpose."

I guess he means by "purpose" to spend exhorberent amounts of money on science that could be done on the ground rather than in space, to take thousands of photos and atmospheric readings that could be better done my an unmaned "Jonny-Five"'s, repeat pointless experiments, see how brake grease floats around, watch mold grow, and some more stuff that could be done on earth...

I have a counter proposal for using the space station. I can be summed up in two words: Space Garage.

You know a way point to other planets? A point in space where ongoing construction of large vehicles could happen?... Or is that too practical for people?