Новости МКС

[tnt22]

Dr Marco Langbroek‏ @Marco_Langbroek 4 ч. назад

VIDEO: pass of the #ISS Fabric Shield over Leiden, NL: https://youtu.be/zILMGnpzUvk  @esaoperations @ESA_nl @ISSarchaeology @drspacejunk

Pass of ISS Fabric Shield and ISS, 4 APRIL 2017
Pass of the ISS Fabric Shield, a 1.5 x 0.6 meter large meteoroid shield which accidentally floated off the ISS during an EVA. Followed 1m45s later by the ISS itself.

[Олег]

tnt22 пишет:
Followed 1m45s later by the ISS itself

Гооогл переwел: Спустя 1m45s позже самой ISS.
А там  наоборот - сначала мелочь, потом сама МКС. Так кто же за кем ?

[Спутник]

ISS -- вслед/позже на 1м45с

[tnt22]

Human Spaceflight‏Подлинная учетная запись @esaspaceflight 4 ч. назад

Tentative date for next #spacewalk with @Thom_astro and @AstroPeggy: 24 April

[tnt22]

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2017/04/05/spacesuit-checks-ahead-of-monday-crew-departure/

Spacesuit Checks Ahead of Monday Crew Departure
Posted on April 5, 2017 at 12:08 pm by Mark Garcia.

 Скрытый текст:

Astronaut Shane Kimbrough is seen inside the Quest airlock at the end of a spacewalk on March 24, 2017.

The Expedition 50 crew is checking out U.S. spacesuits today and testing tiny internal satellites for research. Three crew members are also packing up for a ride back to Earth on Monday.

Commander Shane Kimbrough worked on a pair of spacesuits today following the completion of two spacewalks last month. He sampled and tested the cooling water that flows through the suits to keep astronauts cool in the extreme environment of outer space.

Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson conducted test runs of the SPHERES satellites today to demonstrate autonomous docking maneuvers. The bowling ball-sized miniature satellites (also known as Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites) have been used for a variety of purposes including student algorithm competitions and fluid physics.

Kimbrough is winding down his stay in space with cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko. The trio this week is packing the Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft with science samples, personal items and other cargo for a landing in Kazakhstan after 173 days in space. NASA TV will broadcast the crew departure activities live with landing scheduled for Monday at 7:20 a.m. EDT.
                
 This entry was posted in Expedition 50, Uncategorized and tagged European Space Agency, Expedition 50, International Space Station, NASA, Roscosmos, Soyuz, spacewalk on April 5, 2017 by Mark Garcia.

[tnt22]

Intl. Space Station‏Подлинная учетная запись @Space_Station 34 мин. назад

Record-breaking astronaut Peggy Whitson extends her mission with additional three months at the station. https://go.nasa.gov/2oJOMRW 

 Скрытый текст:

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-astronaut-peggy-whitson-adds-three-months-to-record-breaking-mission

April 5, 2017
RELEASE 17-038

NASA Astronaut Peggy Whitson Adds Three Months to Record-Breaking Mission


 NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is set to extend her mission with an additional three months at the International Space Station.
Credits: NASA
 
 Already poised to break the record for cumulative time spent in space by a U.S. astronaut, Peggy Whitson is set to extend her mission with an additional three months at the International Space Station.

NASA and the Russian space agency Roscosmos, signed an agreement to extend Peggy Whitson's stay on the space station into Expedition 52. Rather than returning to Earth with her Expedition 51 crew mates Oleg Novitsky of Roscosmos and Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency), in June as originally planned, Whitson will remain on the space station and return home with NASA's Jack Fischer and Roscosmos' Fyodor Yurchikhin. That landing is targeted for September.

This is great news," Whitson said. "I love being up here. Living and working aboard the space station is where I feel like I make the greatest contribution, so I am constantly trying to squeeze every drop out of my time here. Having three more months to squeeze is just what I would wish for."

 Скрытый текст:

The arrangement takes advantage of a Soyuz seat left empty by the Roscosmos decision to temporarily reduce their crew complement to two cosmonauts. Whitson's extension will ensure a full complement of six astronauts on board the station and increase the amount of valuable astronaut time available for experiments on board the station.

"Peggy's skill and experience makes her an incredible asset aboard the space station," said Kirk Shireman, NASA's International Space Station Program Manager. "By extending the stay of one of NASA's most veteran astronauts, our research, our technology development, our commercial and our international partner communities will all benefit."

This is Whitson's third long-duration stay onboard the space station. She launched on Nov. 17 with 377 days in space already under her belt, and on April 24 will break Jeff Williams' standing United States record of 534 cumulative days in space. In 2008, Whitson became the first woman to command the space station, and on April 9 will become the first woman to command it twice. In addition, she holds the record for most spacewalks by a female.

Follow Whitson's stay on the space station via social media at:
 

http:// www.twitter.com/AstroPeggy

http://www.facebook.com/NASAastronautPeggyWhitson

https://astropeggy.tumblr.com
  

Learn more about the space station and its crews at:
 

http://www.nasa.gov/station

-end-

 
Kathryn Hambleton 
 Headquarters, Washington
 202-358-1100
kathryn.hambleton@nasa.gov

Brandi Dean/ Dan Huot
 Johnson Space Center, Houston
 281-483-5111
brandi.k.dean@nasa.gov / dan.huot@nasa.gov 

Last Updated: April 5, 2017
Editor: Karen Northon

[tnt22]

О трансляции НАСА
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-tv-to-air-return-of-space-station-crew-members-to-earth-april-10

April 5, 2017
 MEDIA ADVISORY M17-039
 
 NASA TV to Air Return of Space Station Crew Members to Earth April 10

 Скрытый текст:

 Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough of NASA and Flight Engineers Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko of Roscosmos will undock their Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft from the space station on April 10.
Credits: NASA

Three crew members aboard the International Space Station are scheduled to depart the orbiting outpost Monday, April 10. Coverage of their departure and return to Earth will air on NASA Television and the agency's website.

Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough of NASA and Flight Engineers Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko of Roscosmos will undock their Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft from the space station at 4 a.m. EDT and land in Kazakhstan at 7:20 a.m. (5:20 p.m. Kazakhstan time). Their return will wrap up 173 days in space for the crew members since their launch last October.

NASA TV will air coverage of the departure and landing activities at the following dates and times:

Sunday, April 9
 

[/li]
• 10:40 a.m. - Change of command ceremony in which Kimbrough hands over station command to NASA's Peggy Whitson
  

Monday, April 10
 

[/li]
• 12:15 a.m. - Farewell and hatch closure coverage (hatch closure at 12:40 a.m.)
• 3:30 a.m. - Undocking coverage (undocking scheduled at 4 a.m.)
• 6 a.m. - Deorbit burn and landing coverage (deorbit burn at 6:27 a.m., landing at 7:20 a.m.)
• 9 a.m. - Video file of hatch closure, undocking and landing activities.
  

Tuesday, April 11
 

[/li]
• 12 p.m. - Video file of landing and post-landing activities and post-landing interview with Kimbrough in Kazakhstan
  

 Скрытый текст:

Together, the Expedition 50 crew members continued work on hundreds of experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science aboard humanity's only orbital laboratory.

At the time of undocking, Expedition 51 will begin aboard the station under Whitson's command. Along with her crewmates Oleg Novitskiy of Roscosmos and Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency), the three-person crew will operate the station until the arrival of two new crew members. NASA's Jack Fischer and Fyodor Yurchikhin of Roscosmos are scheduled to launch April 20 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

Keep up with the International Space Station, and its research and crews, at:

 

 https://www.nasa.gov/station

Get breaking news, images and features from the station on Instagram and Twitter at:

 

http://instagram.com/iss

and

http://www.twitter.com/Space_Station 

-end-

 
Cheryl Warner
 Headquarters, Washington
 202-358-1100
cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov

Dan Huot
 Johnson Space Center, Houston
 281-483-5111
daniel.g.huot@nasa.gov

Last Updated: April 5, 2017
Editor: Katherine Brown

[tnt22]

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/04/whitson-iss-additional-three-months/

Whitson to stay on the ISS for an additional three months
April 5, 2017 by Chris Bergin

 

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson has been granted a three-month extension to her mission on the International Space Station (ISS). The decision, made between NASA and Roscosmos, avoids a "gap" in the full crew compliment during a two-month period in the summer. Meanwhile, Soyuz TMA-02 is preparing to return home three crew members next Monday.

Whitson Extension:

 Скрытый текст:

Dr. Whitson is already a record-breaker and no stranger to the orbital outpost.

She was assigned to her first spaceflight as a member of Expedition 5 crew, launching aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour and the STS-111 mission on 5 June 2002.



Whitson returned to the Station when she was assigned as Commander of the Expedition 16 mission and launched fr om the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 10 October 2007 on Soyuz TMA-11. During just this tour alone, Whitson performed five spacewalks.

Returning to the Station on Soyuz MS-03 last November, Dr. Whitson added her eighth and ninth spacewalks of her career - more than any other female astronaut.

The plan was for Whitson to return home with her Expedition 51 crew mates Oleg Novitsky of Roscosmos and Thomas Pesquet of ESA in June. However, Whitson will now skip that departure and will head back to Earth with NASA's Jack Fischer and Roscosmos' Fyodor Yurchikhin in September.

"This is great news," Whitson said. "I love being up here. Living and working aboard the space station is wh ere I feel like I make the greatest contribution, so I am constantly trying to squeeze every drop out of my time here. Having three more months to squeeze is just what I would wish for."



Preparations for the Station crew comings and goings began when the Station adjusted its orbit via a 35.6 firing of thrusters on the Zvezda module.

That sets the stage for the departure of Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough of NASA and Flight Engineers Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko of Roscosmos when they undock their Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft from the space station at 4 a.m. EDT and land in Kazakhstan at 7:20 a.m. (5:20 p.m. Kazakhstan time) this coming Monday.

Their return will wrap up 173 days in space for the crew members since their launch last October.

At the time of undocking, Expedition 51 will begin aboard the station under Whitson's command.

Along with her crewmates Oleg Novitskiy of Roscosmos and Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency), the three-person crew will operate the station until the arrival of two new crew members.



NASA's Jack Fischer and Fyodor Yurchikhin of Roscosmos are scheduled to launch April 20 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan - riding on the Soyuz MS-04.

This two person launch is the key reason why Dr. Whitson will remain on the Station.

With a Soyuz seat left empty by the Roscosmos, the ISS will be  temporarily reduced to two cosmonauts. Whitson's extension will ensure a full complement of six astronauts on board the station and increase the amount of valuable astronaut time available for experiments on board the station.

Dr. Whitson's next record will come on April 24, whens she will break Jeff Williams' standing United States record of 534 cumulative days in space. Along with the recent spacewalk record, Whitson also became the first woman to command the space station, and on April 9 will become the first woman to command it twice.
 
"Peggy's skill and experience makes her an incredible asset aboard the space station," added Kirk Shireman, NASA's International Space Station Program Manager. "By extending the stay of one of NASA's most veteran astronauts, our research, our technology development, our commercial and our international partner communities will all benefit."

Yet another spacewalk is on the cards for Whitson when she conducts the third of a trio of EVAs that are preparing for the future arrival of US commercial crew spacecraft, along with upgrading the station hardware.



Previously, EVA-42 was set to take place on April 6. However, due to delays with the arrival of the OA-7 Cygnus spacecraft - due to issues with its Atlas V carrier rocket - the spacewalk has been postponed.

The Atlas V will now launch from SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral on April 18, following the resolution of two issues - the latter relating to a hydraulic line on the rocket's first stage.

As such, EVA-42 is now expected to take place shortly after the Cygnus is berthed to the Station, with the spacewalk currently allocated a placeholder of April 24.

The spacewalk will feature Whitson and Pesquet replacing an avionics box on the starboard truss called an ExPRESS Logistics Carrier, a storage platform. The box houses electrical and command and data routing equipment for the science experiments and replacement hardware stored outside of the station.

The reason for delaying the EVA is obvious, given the new avionics box is scheduled to launch aboard Cygnus.

The EVA will be a major milestone for the orbital outpost, marking the 200th spacewalk in support of space station assembly and maintenance.

(Images via NASA and Roscosmos).

[tnt22]

https://www.roscosmos.ru/23403/

ПОСАДКА СПУСКАЕМОГО АППАРАТА ТПК «СОЮЗ МС-02»
10 апреля 2017
 

   Программа МКС

    
 

10 апреля 2017 года в 14:21 мск запланирована посадка спускаемого аппарата транспортного пилотируемого корабля «Союз МС-02» с экипажем в составе командира корабля Сергея РЫЖИКОВА (РОСКОСМОС), бортинженеров Андрея БОРИСЕНКО (РОСКОСМОС) и Роберта КИМБРОУ (NASA). Команда на расстыковку ТПК «Союз МС-02» с МКС будет дана в 10:58 мск. Планируемый район посадки спускаемого корабля - около 147 км от г.Жезказган, Республика Казахстан.

[Алексей Георгиевич Белозерский]

tnt22 пишет:
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2017/04/whitson-iss-additional-three-months/
 

Вставлю ссылку на оригинал пресс-релиза НАСА
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-astronaut-peggy-whitson-adds-three-months-to-record-breaking-mission

[Alien3]

Очень рад за Пегги! Она заслужила (вспоминается книга Криса Хэтфилда).

[tnt22]

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2017/04/Spotting_debris

Spotting debris

DOWNLOAD HI-RES JPG (528.82 kB)                         
                         
           
Details

Title Spotting debris

Released 06/04/2017 9:00 am

Copyright Marco Langbroek, 2017

Description

On 30 March, NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Peggy Whitson ventured outside the International Space Station on a seven-hour spacewalk. The duo's work included installing four thermal shields on the US Tranquility module, protecting a docking port. 

Unfortunately, one shield was lost during the spacewalk. It posed no immediate danger to the astronauts and they went on to install the remaining shields on the port.

The lost shield is in orbit some distance in front of the Station and is visible fr om Earth through a pair of good binoculars.

 Скрытый текст:

During the evening of 3 April, Marco Langbroek, from Leiden, the Netherlands, photographed the shield passing over in the night sky, using a Canon EOS 60D DSLR camera and a Samyang 1.4/85 mm lens.

In a pair of excellent images created from a series of photos, the shield is seen as the very faint, thin streak (in the image at left), followed a minute later by the Station itself, seen as the thick streak (in the image at right).

The shield is about 1.5 x 0.6 m, and is expected to drop from orbit and burn up in the atmosphere within a few months.

"The item poses very little risk to navigation, and an accidental release like this is not unexpected given the complexity and challenges of working outside during a spacewalk," says Holger Krag, Head of ESA's Space Debris Office.

He says the incident does, however, put a spotlight on the current space debris situation.

"There are some 750 000 debris objects 1-10 cm in orbit, and any one of these could damage or destroy a functioning satellite."

Later this month, ESA's Space Debris Office will host the 7th European Conference on Space Debris, the world's largest gathering on this topic. The conference will be opened by ESA Director General Jan Woerner and NASA's former orbital debris chief scientist, Donald Kessler.

Highlight talks will address acute issues like debris avoidance measures, novel concepts for removing debris and the deployment of large constellations of several thousand satellites for telecommunications.

More information

Marco Langbroek http://sattrackcam.blogspot.com

Video of  (WMV, 24 MB)

Wh ere's the dropped fabric shield? http://www.n2yo.com/satellite/?s=42434

ESA Space Debris http://www.esa.int/debris

ESA CleanSpace http://www.esa.int/CleanSpace

Id 375633

[tnt22]

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2017/04/06/trio-packs-for-homecoming-and-whitsons-mission-extended/

Trio Packs for Homecoming and Whitson's Mission Extended
Posted on April 6, 2017 at 12:45 pm by Mark Garcia.

 Скрытый текст:

Expedition 50 crew members (from left) Shane Kimbrough, Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko will depart the station Monday April 10 ending their stay in space.

Three crew members aboard the International Space Station are packing up their gear for a homecoming on Monday. NASA also decided to extend the mission of an astronaut living aboard the station since November.

Two cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut will take a ride back to Earth early Monday inside the Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft. Commander Shane Kimbrough and Flight Engineers Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko will have completed a 173-day mission in space when they land Monday at 7:21 a.m. EDT in Kazakhstan. NASA TV will broadcast the departure and landing activities live.

Kimbrough has accumulated six spacewalks over two missions, including the STS-126 mission aboard space shuttle Endeavour in 2008. Ryzhikov, who is on his first space mission, will be commanding the Soyuz spacecraft during its landing. Borisenko was last aboard the station in 2011 and is completing his second stint as a station crew member.

Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson has been granted a three-month extension to her already record-breaking career aboard the station. She will stay in space until September as a member of Expeditions 50, 51 and 52. NASA managers wanted to ensure the station maintained a six-person crew to maximize research while Russia temporarily reduces its crew to two cosmonauts.

This entry was posted in Expedition 50 and tagged European Space Agency, Expedition 50, International Space Station, NASA, Roscosmos, Soyuz on April 6, 2017 by Mark Garcia.

[zandr]

https://ria.ru/science/20170406/1491604706.html

МЧС провела сеанс связи с МКС и обсудила съемки поверхности Земли

© NASA
МОСКВА, 6 апр -- РИА Новости. Начальник Национального центра управления в кризисных ситуациях (НЦУКС) МЧС России Виктор Яцуценко провел сеанс связи с космонавтами Международной космической станцией (МКС) и обсудил вопросы продолжения сотрудничества.
Во время сеанса связи Яцуценко и бортинженер экипажа МКС Сергей Рыжиков обсудили ход выполнения экипажем космического эксперимента "Сценарий". "В рамках заключенного соглашения о взаимодействии МЧС России и Роскосмоса НЦУКС активно участвует в проведении эксперимента "Сценарий", в ходе которого съемка земной поверхности, по заданию НЦУКС, осуществляется космонавтами непосредственно с МКС", -- сказал Яцуценко.
По его словам, поступающие в НЦУКС с МКС снимки успешно используются для мониторинга лесопожарной обстановки, движения ледостава на крупных реках, а также вулканической активности. "Данные с борта МКС позволяют органам и силам управления МЧС на всех уровнях получать информацию об оперативной обстановке. Мы ежедневно благодаря вашим снимкам уточняем масштабы и динамику развития ЧС -- это позволяет нам принимать меры, направленные на недопущение человеческих жертв и материального ущерба", -- сказал в ходе сеанса связи Яцуценко.
От имени спасателей МЧС России он поздравил космонавтов с наступающим праздником Днем космонавтики. "Пользуясь возможностью, поздравляю вас с 56-годовщиной первого полета человека в космос. Желаю вам чистого безоблачного неба на работе, домашнего тепла в семье и успехов в покорении безбрежного океана под названием космос", -- сказал начальник НЦУКС.

[tnt22]

Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust 16 мин. назад

David Parker, ESA: cornerstones of our exploration program are ISS and ExoMars; both involve cooperation with Russia. #33SS

[tnt22]

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2017/04/07/crew-packing-soyuz-for-monday-landing/

Crew Packing Soyuz for Monday Landing
Posted on April 7, 2017 at 2:12 pm by Mark Garcia.

 Скрытый текст:

This long exposure photograph shows the Earth, its atmospheric glow and stars from the International Space Station.

Two NASA astronauts and a European Space Agency astronaut headed into the weekend with a light day Friday. Meanwhile, the three cosmonauts from Roscosmos packed a Soyuz spacecraft for departure and worked on maintenance and science.

Commander Shane Kimbrough, who is returning to Earth early Monday, took it easy Friday aboard the International Space Station. He and Flight Engineers Peggy Whitson and Thomas Pesquet mainly performed light duty tasks and continued their daily exercise to stay healthy in space.

Cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko, who are returning home Monday with Kimbrough, continued packing the Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft that will parachute the trio to a landing in Kazakhstan after a 173 days in space.

Ryzhikov, who is on his first mission, will command the Soyuz during its undocking and reentry into Earth's atmosphere. Borisenko and Kimbrough are both wrapping up their second visit to space.

Whitson will become station commander for the second time in her career Sunday less than 24 hours before her crewmates undock from the Poisk module. She stays behind with fellow Expedition 50-51 crew members Pesquet and Flight Engineer Oleg Novitskiy.
                
This entry was posted in Expedition 50 and tagged European Space Agency, Expedition 50, NASA, Roscosmos, Soyuz on April 7, 2017 by Mark Garcia.

[tnt22]

РОСКОСМОС‏Подлинная учетная запись @roscosmos 3 ч. назад

На Международной космической станции завершается работа 50-й длительной экспедиции - https://www.roscosmos.ru/23414/ 

https://www.roscosmos.ru/23414/

ЦУП. НА МКС ЗАВЕРШАЕТ РАБОТУ 50 ДЛИТЕЛЬНАЯ ЭКСПЕДИЦИЯ
07.04.2017 10:18

На Международной космической станции (МКС) завершается работа 50-й длительной экспедиции. Члены международного экипажа транспортного пилотируемого корабля (ТПК) «Союз МС-02» космонавты Андрей БОРИСЕНКО, Сергей РЫЖИКОВ (РОСКОСМОС) и астронавт Роберт Шейн КИМБРОУ (NASA) готовятся к возвращению на Землю.

По предварительным данным службы баллистико-навигационного обеспечения Центра управления полётами (ЦУП) расстыковка корабля «Союз МС-02» с МКС планируется 10 апреля 2017 года в 10:58:30 мск.

Продолжительность пребывания в космическом полёте экипажа экспедиции МКС-49/50 составит 173 суток.

После расстыковки транспортного пилотируемого корабля «Союз МС-02» с Международной космической станцией (ТПК находится в составе станции с 21 октября 2016 года) и до прибытия на борт МКС участников следующей экспедиции работу на орбите продолжит экипаж в составе Олега НОВИЦКОГО (РОСКОСМОС), Пегги УИТСОН (NASA) и Тома ПЕСКЕ (ЕSА).

Приземление спускаемого аппарата корабля «Союз МС-02» планируется 10 апреля в 14:20 мск в 147 км юго-восточнее города Жезказган в Казахстане.

[Salo]

https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/04/08/nasa-roscosmos-weight-extending-station-operations-to-2028/

NASA, Roscosmos open to extending station operations to 2028             
 April 8, 2017 Stephen Clark

Top officials from NASA and Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, could decide soon to commit to keeping the International Space Station staffed and flying through at least 2028, four years after the research lab's current retirement date.
The head of Roscosmos told reporters Tuesday that the Russian space agency is ready to discuss plans to keep operating the huge research complex another four years until 2028.
"We think that we should continue working in low Earth orbit," said Roscosmos chief Igor Komarov in a press conference Tuesday at the 33rd Space Symposium in Colorado Springs.
Komarov's comments came after NASA's senior human spaceflight manger, Bill Gerstenmaier, said March 29 that a decision by Congress and the Trump administration whether to commit to continuing space station operations through 2028, one way or another, will create certainty for scientists, engineers and businesses working on the program.
"Getting another decision about what we do beyond 2024 with station is really important," Gerstenmaier said in a presentation to the NASA Advisory Council's human exploration and operations committee .
With an eye toward construction of a deep space habitat around the moon in the mid-to-late 2020s, NASA intends to test out new life support systems on the space station that are not as prone to failure and do not require as much maintenance as the technologies currently on the outpost.
NASA's goal is to iron out the kinks of the next-generation life support system, and learn more about how humans respond to long-duration spaceflight, before abandoning the space station and turning attention to deep space exploration.
"The life support system on the station today is not of the reliability or the low maintenance that is needed for a Mars-class mission," Gerstenmaier said March 30. "We need to really step that up. A great place to test that, in fact the only place to really test that kind of stuff, is on-board the space station."
The Obama administration announced in early 2014 its intention to extend the U.S. commitment to the space station through 2024, a decision that Gerstenmaier lauded as allowing NASA to cement plans to deploy new technology and develop new experiments for the space station.
The decision also helped close the business case for commercial companies working on crew and cargo capsules flying to the space station, giving the service providers a steady stream of business until a potential commercial space station is built in Earth orbit.
If the White House and Congress wait too long extend the space station program, it "really limits what the commercially companies are willing to experiment with on space station," Gerstenmaier said. "It limits what we need to do with cargo resupply and crew resupply. It changes plans for what we test on station.
"The sooner we know that, the better off we are, and waiting until just four years before end of station, I personally think is not as helpful as if we can decide a lot earlier, like soon," Gerstenmaier said.
He added that there is little margin in NASA's schedule to complete the biological and technological experiments needed for deep space missions by 2024.
It took three years for all of the space station's partners to endorse the last extension, with the European Space Agency last year becoming the final participant to lengthen its commitment from 2020 to 2024.
Russia announced in 2015 that it would keep up its support of the space station through 2024, and Komarov said Tuesday that the Russian government will maintain a complex in low Earth orbit throughout the 2020s, whether it's the International Space Station or a Russian-led vehicle.
But he implied that Russia's preference is to keep the International Space Station going.
"As long as we have this instrument, the ISS, it's logical to continue this work," Komarov said.
He said the Russian government, like the other space station partners, wants "more experiments, more results and more efficiency" from the space station.
Roscosmos has a contingency plan that could involve detaching some of its newer modules from the International Space Station, including a research lab set for launch next year, to form a standalone outpost.
"It doesn't mean that we don't want to continue our cooperation," Komarov said. "We just want to be on the safe side, and in any case, and in any decision, to continue our research in low Earth orbit."
Komarov echoed Gerstenmaier's concerns about using the International Space Station to evaluate astronaut and cosmonaut health and radiation shielding before launching a crewed mission to Mars.
NASA has spent about $67 billion on the space station to date, according to Gerstenmaier. With the contributions of international partners, the orbiting research lab's total cost likely reaches above $100 billion.
"We ought to be planning, from an policy standpoint, an approach that allows us to maximize the utility of our $67 billion investment in low Earth orbit, and not pick an arbitrary (retirement) date for some other concerns," Gerstenmaier said.
NASA spends more than $3 billion to operate the space station each year, and most of that cost goes toward crew and cargo transportation to and from the complex. The outpost's "sustaining" operating budget is closer to $1 billion per year, Gerstenmaier said.
Engineers have concluded the space station is structurally sound to keep flying through 2028. Some repairs, such as replacement of the research lab's oldest power-generating solar arrays, may be required if the program is extended longer than 2028, Gerstenmaier said.
Besides the scientific justification, Gerstenmaier floated two other considerations for U.S. government decision-makers.
Around 15 percent of the global orbital launch attempts in 2015 and 2016 targeted the space station.
"Let's say we pick the end, and we're now going to pull (15 percent) out of the global launch market. Do you think I'm going to be allowed to do that? Probably not."
"The other wild card is in 2023 potentially the Chinese will have their space station," Gerstenmaier said. "What is the dynamic with the U.S. with a space station that's going away in 2024, with the Chinese having a government-operated space station in 2023? Is that the right time to cede and hand over national and global human spaceflight to another country? You should ponder some of these things."

[tnt22]

Brady Kenniston‏ @TheFavoritist 1 ч. назад

Look at the center of the Moon. There is a small black "H" looking spot. THATS 6 PEOPLE TRAVELING 17,200 MPH WITH THE MOON AS A BACKDROP.


Brady Kenniston‏ @TheFavoritist 30 мин. назад

Spiffy little photoshop job of all my frames combined of the @Space_Station crossing the moon tonight!

[tnt22]

Thomas Pesquet‏Подлинная учетная запись @Thom_astro 2 ч назад

Today #Exp50 becomes #Exp51 with @astro_kimbrough handing over command to @AstroPeggy. #Bestcrewever


Thomas Pesquet‏Подлинная учетная запись @Thom_astro 3 ч. назад

Au revoir #Exp50, bienvenue #Exp51! Presque 5 mois ensemble, une expédition épique et un record pour la science sur l'ISS!