<P> In 1987 the ESA approved the Columbus laboratory . 1988, Europe was working on several space projects including the Columbus module, the Man - Tended Free Flyer (MTFF), and the Polar Platform (PPF), supported by the Ariane 5 rocket and the Hermes spaceplane . </P> <P> The Columbus Man - Tended Free Flyer (MTFF) was an ESA programme to develop a space station that could be used for a variety of microgravity experiments while serving ESA's needs for an autonomous manned space platform . The MTFF would be a space station without long term life support, visited by short term crews to replenish and maintain experiments in a Zero - G environment free of vibrations caused by a permanent crew . The project was cancelled after budget constraints caused by German reunification . The Hermes spaceplane is comparable in function to the American and Soviet space shuttles, with a smaller crew of up to 6 (reduced to 3 with ejection seats after the Challenger disaster) and substantially smaller cargo capacity, 4,550 kg, comparable to ISS unmanned cargo ships . </P> <P> By 1991 the Columbus and Hermes pre-development activities were good enough to progress into full development, however profound geopolitical changes prompted examining broader international co-operation, in particular with the Russian Federation . ESA Member States approved the complete development of the Attached Pressurised Module (APM) and the Polar Platform (PPF) for Columbus, but the Man - Tended Free - Flyer (MTFF) was abandoned . The Hermes programme was reoriented into the Manned Space Transportation Programme (MSTP), and a three - year period extending from 1993 to 1995 was agreed on to define a future manned space transportation system in co-operation with Russia, including joint development and use of Mir - 2 . </P>

Who came up with the idea of the iss