Ars Technica reports, “US space officials do not like to talk about the perils of flying astronauts on the aging International Space Station, elements of which are now more than a quarter of a century old. However, a new report confirms that NASA managers responsible for operating the space station are seriously concerned about a small Russian part of the station, essentially a tunnel that connects a larger module to a docking port, which is leaking. … A new report, published Thursday by NASA’s inspector general, provides details not previously released by the space agency that underline the severity of the problem.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)
Tag: ISS
NASA’s Plan for Deorbiting ISS Contingent Upon Russia’s Plans
Ars Technica reports, “Assuming the ISS international partners will retire the laboratory as planned in 2030, the final deorbit maneuver could happen in early 2031. NASA would like to have the deorbit vehicle ready for launch in 2029, up to a year and a half before the space station’s final plunge. If these dates hold, the final crew for the ISS would likely launch in late 2029 and remain aboard the complex for a year, then come home before the final deorbit burns to guide the massive lab back into the atmosphere.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)
Boeing Starliner’s Future Is Unclear After Returning Without Astronauts
The New York Times reports that Boeing’s Starliner “has finally come home, but the two NASA astronauts who traveled in it to the International Space Station in June remain in orbit. Because of problems with Starliner’s propulsion system during its approach to the space station in June, NASA officials decided not to put the astronauts, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, on Starliner for the return trip. They will spend an additional five months on the space station as part of the crew before coming back to Earth around February in a spacecraft built and managed by SpaceX.”
Full Story (New York Times – Subscription Publication)
Full Story (NYT via Yahoo News)
Uncrewed Boeing Starliner Set to Depart Space Station Friday Night
The New York Times reports, “Leaving behind the two NASA astronauts it took to the International Space Station three months ago, Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft is set to begin its return to Earth on Friday evening. Six hours after it undocks from the station, it is to parachute to a landing at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. If bad weather or technical issues cause a delay, Starliner’s return could happen on Sept. 10, Sept. 14 or Sept. 18.”
Full Story (New York Times)
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus Cargo Freighter Arrives at ISS
SPACE reports, “Northrop Grumman’s robotic Cygnus freighter reached the International Space Station (ISS) early Tuesday morning (Aug. 6), carrying about 4 tons of supplies to the orbiting lab. The Cygnus, which launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Sunday (Aug. 4), was captured by the station’s robotic arm on Tuesday at 3:11 a.m. (0711 GMT), as the duo were flying over the South Atlantic Ocean.”
Full Story (SPACE)
NASA to Evaluate Astronaut Launch Schedule In Wake of SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Failure
SPACE reports, “NASA is waiting to see if there will be “schedule impacts” for its next astronaut mission aboard SpaceX after a rocket failure last week, the agency said in a recent statement. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket had a rare anomaly during a Starlink satellite launch on Thursday (July 11). The second stage on the rocket failed to work as planned, stranding the broadband satellites in an unusual orbit. As SpaceX and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigate why this occurred, an International Space Station (ISS) mission is under scrutiny.”
Full Story (SPACE)
Video
SpaceX Experiences Engine Failure In Flight
(The Launch Pad; YouTube)
Opinion: “Transferring the International Space Station into the Future”
In an op-ed in Space News, Jean-Jacques Dordain and Michael Griffin suggest that when it’s time to retire the ISS, it should be moved to higher orbit, so that it may one day be made useful again, rather than incinerated. They write, “As lifelong space professionals who have worked together from different positions in ESA and NASA on the redesign, assembly and operation of the ISS, we fully share the objective to cease ISS operations at the end of the decade, but we believe that destroying it would be a pointless loss for the future.”
Full Story (Space News)
NASA to Partner with SpaceX to Deorbit International Space Station
Ars Technica reports, “NASA has awarded an $843 million contract to SpaceX to develop a ‘US Deorbit Vehicle.’ This spacecraft will dock to the International Space Station in 2029 and then ensure the large facility makes a controlled reentry through Earth’s atmosphere before splashing into the ocean in 2030.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)
Boeing Starliner Docks with Space Station
The Washington Post reports, “Boeing’s Starliner capsule, carrying a pair of NASA astronauts, docked with the International Space Station on Thursday, completing the first leg of an important test flight after several of its thrusters went offline, forcing a dramatic, last-minute scramble to troubleshoot the issue.”
Full Story (The Washington Post)
Opinion: After the ISS, America Must Continue to Lead in LEO, Cislunar to Maintain Supremacy
Space News reports, “As the International Space Station (ISS) nears the end of its service life and the United States commercial space industry continues to push past old technological boundaries, America needs new orbital destinations to remain the world’s leader in space. Low-Earth orbit, or LEO, is of tremendous strategic significance. It is not only where a fast-growing number of satellites operate, but it is also where humans have lived and worked continuously on the ISS since 2000.”
Full Story (Space News)