Ya I have the same situation with the ladders, plus in my opinion it makes it look a little ugly. Not that there is really any reason to switch them off, but I can't control or diagnose solar panel issues without ladders right now. I tend to nerd out and really get into the role-playing side of things (even though I'm by myself) and would rather I HAVE to use a pack. I don't necessarily want it to make life on a space station easier, but rather more life-like. Plus it adds a little more risk if you're not paying attention to your resources
Although that brings up a small detail, there could be warning buzzers when fuel is getting dangerously low.
Not sure how true it is but I heard that the Space Station will be used to "research" planets. What that means I do not know, but I'm kind of guessing you will need to find new ones before you can access them...or something.