Space Station may be abandoned

[Chillie]

I saw this article on the BigPond web site:

http://bigpondnews.com/articles/Technology/2011/08/30/Space_Station_may_be_abandoned_6559 88.html

[OICURMT]

Maybe the US should have one shuttle on "stand-by" from now on... but it probably costs too much.

[Ric]

No shuttles, no manned station (maybe)

We are certainly going backwards at a great rate of knots.

[Jeffkop]

Ummm .. this might be a dumb question .. but how are they going to get the remaining americans from the space station if there aint anymore taxis ??? ... Or did they do take them aon 135 ???

[RB]

I assumed the remaining personnel would return on Russian Soyuz rockets.

[supernova1965]

I thought that there were soyuz capsules permantly docked to the station for emergency evacuations.:question:

[TrevorW]

If it's empty, is it like a ship, can I claim salvage rights

[multiweb]

Yeah, good idea and we should set all our gear up there and operate remotely. Perfect seeing.

[BlackWidow]

My wife said I should take all my Da#@M Telescope stuff and stay up thier. I knew I had a good wife :rofl:



Mardy

[mozzie]

it doesn't sound good !!!!!! there's not the money to keep everything going what a shame...

[icytailmark]

why cant they use richard branson's space ships?

[Chillie]

Not much hope of that. When I was posting the OP, NASA TV showed NASA dismantling the launch pad.

[Chillie]

My understanding is that they go home in the same Russian Soyuz rockets that they come up in.

[traveller]

Yes, NASA is dismantling the shuttle for museums etc and focusing on Falcon X as their next heavy lift vehicle. There are apparently 2 Soyuz capsules attached to the ISS at present, for emergency evacs and the like. So the return journey is not a proble, just the buses.
Maybe they have to pay the Chinese :lol:

[TrevorW]

Why not everything else is made there :P

[mswhin63]

Heard a report on Star stuff that if nothing can be done by November they will remove some of the astronaut on ISS and run a skeleton astronaut staff for a while longer. They also said it wont be the end as they can operate it entirely from the ground just no research.

[FJA]

They'll probably mothball it until a solution to the problem is found.

[TrevorW]

How hard would it be to put a capsule on an Atlas V

[traveller]

What capsule? They mothballed that before the shuttle, thats why they need their Russian comrades and their trusty souyz. So the yanks have the rocket but no capsule and the Russians have the capsule and a faulty rocket.
:shrug:

[Nortilus]

Why dont they just build new shuttles using the old design...just upgrade a few things with newer materials like the heat shielding for reentry and the computer systems...doesn't that seem like a probable solutions instead of freaking out that they dont have their latest design ready to go...

[marki]

They could always use a parachute, just need a good run up :P:D


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xE71aKXjss0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw8OJJQ_hgk&feature=related

Mark

[traveller]

Or they can start building that nano carbon fibre space elevator....