Under pressure from supporters of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), NASA officials announced today that the International Space Station will be outfitted with wider doors, wheelchair ramps and handicapped-enabled restroom facilities.
"From now on we won't have to hear people bitching that the space station is not built for cripples. They will be able to use the space station just like normal people", said NASA Administrator Mike Griffin.
Many advocates of the ADA praised NASA's commitment to the disabled. "It's about time our government thought about people with special needs", said Lorna Thornbush, a "differently-abled" rights advocate.
Some astronauts expressed displeasure with the proposed changes. "I hope they don't expect us to take them out on spacewalks and push them around", said Dorothy M. Metcalf-Lindenburger, blond Educator Mission Specialist for the NASA program. "We have to go out and fix broken gyroscopes and stuff".
President Bush strongly supports the $3.6 billion upgrade. "I sincerely hopes this helps fix my approval rating", Bush secretly told one of his press secretaries.
