The International Space Station (ISS) is a collaborative project between the US, Russia, Europe, Canada and Japan. First launched in 1998, it has been continuously occupied since November 2000 and makes 16 orbits of Earth each day. The $150 billion (£115bn) ISS costs NASA between $3-$4 billion (£2.3bn-£3.1bn) in maintenance each year and the US, like all other partners, gets to exercise its jurisdiction over the elements it provides.

Abandoned projects the US government spends billions of taxpayers' money on

From GPS to cryptocurrency, surprisingly valuable things the US government owns