The International Space Station (ISS) is in danger of being left empty, at least for a while, after a Russian Soyuz rocket exploded during launch to the orbiting laboratory.
The rocket was carrying supplies, though astronauts are also launched into orbit on a similar, though not identical, rocket also confusingly called Soyuz. Russian and US authorities are understandably concerned about the incident, and have grounded all launches indefinitely as the problem is explored.
This spells trouble for the inhabitants of the ISS, some of whom were scheduled to return to Earth on September 8; those plans have since been pushed back by at least a week. Due to restrictions on when the capsules can be launched from the station, and their proposed operational lifetimes, their return trips can't be delayed for too long however.
If the problem plaguing the Soyuz rockets can't be identified and fixed before the end of November, when the final ISS crew are scheduled to depart, then the highest human occupied dwelling will be left empty.
Despite how bad that sounds, it actually wouldn't be the end of the world. The research facility was designed to execute routine functions autonomously for just such occasions. However, many of the actual research projects would have to be put on hold, since they require human input. Effectively this would delay the completion dates of some experiments.
Ideally, the sooner astronauts could return to the ISS the better, however if that is not possible the lab could continue to operate on its own indefinitely. So there seems to be little chance that the $100 billion space house is in any serious danger.
Meanwhile, Congresspersons are beginning to press the White House, Congress and NASA to push up timetables for the replacement for the retired space shuttle fleet. Not surprisingly, those pushing hardest are those individuals whose states have significant interests in the rocket design and manufacturing.
As it stands it does not seem likely that the US will be ready with its next generation of rockets and crew modules until at least 2015. This leaves the manned space flight program in limbo, at least for the short-term. Hopefully engineers can quickly identify the problem and design a solution that will prevent a space disaster that would cost human life.
Image Credit: NASA
Comments
Thanks for including that stunningly beautiful photo of the ISS in your article. Though I’m American, I love the fact that the space station is an international project. I remember in the early days that the U.S. was pulling more than its weight in the project and Russia was having difficulty meeting its deadlines due to their poor economy. Now that our shuttles have been retired we depend on them to transport supplies and astronauts to the station (and we chip in to pay for the rides). It’s good to have friends and to be patient with them–someday you might need them to be patient with you!
You are the plugged-in expert and I am just a casual observer but I fear your statements about the future of space science and exploration are too optimistic. Things look very grim for the Webb Space Telescope. And the future of manned space exploration is very troubled. Our politicians are so misguided and short-sighted. Maybe China and India can carry space exploration forward. But we’ll have to be very patient as their programs are very young. It’s a shame that our space engineers will lose their jobs and have to go to work for airlines or oil companies. I almost wish they could be hired by the Chinese, Indian, and Russian space programs so their tremendous experience could be still be utilized for space exploration. But I know that’s impossible due to national rivalries, security concerns, and ideological differences.
Great post tgtga. You are one of the rare few who “get it”.