Aug 3, 2021 08:03 AM
(This post was last modified: Aug 3, 2021 04:59 PM by C C.)
RELATED: https://www.scivillage.com/thread-10663-...l#pid44863
Nauka module’s near miss raises concerns about future of space station
https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/08/...e-station/
EXCERPT: . . . Given the likelihood that Nauka's errant thruster firing involved human error, that would be at least the third major problem in less than three years resulting from shoddy work. In October 2018, the launch of Russian cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin and NASA astronaut Nick Hague was aborted after a Soyuz booster failure, and the crew had to make an emergency return to Earth. A subsequent investigation found that the side-mounted booster had been improperly mated to the core stage of the Soyuz rocket.
At around the same time, Russia announced that there was a small hole in a different Soyuz vehicle, already attached to the International Space Station. “We are able to narrow down the cause to a technological mistake of a technician," Rogozin said of the problem.
These technical errors have occurred as Roscosmos has had difficulty paying its engineers and technicians a living wage. And now the country's space budget faces further pressure as NASA no longer needs to buy Soyuz seats for its astronauts to ride to the International Space Station—thanks to SpaceX's Crew Dragon vehicle and, hopefully soon, Boeing's Starliner.
Despite all of this, NASA has remained publicly supportive of Russia and its space program. And it has to be relieved that, regardless of its myriad troubles in getting to the space station, Nauka is now there and functional. This is important because it likely cements Russian participation in the space station for the remainder of this decade.
There is no guarantee of that. In recent months Russian officials have begun saying that Roscosmos' existing hardware on orbit, much of which is more than two decades old, is aging beyond repair. The Russians have also suggested they may pull out of the program in 2025 and build a brand-new station. Indeed, just on Saturday, two days after Nauka's troublesome docking, Roscosmos issued a statement saying it was continuing a study of a new station project in low Earth orbit called the Russian Orbital Service Station. This seems very likely to be posturing, as Russia has neither the budget nor likely the ability to rapidly build a new space station.
The question for NASA becomes, then, how long it is willing to rely on a partner that is clearly having technical issues with its workforce, is always asking for more money, and making noises about wanting to exit the space station partnership that has existed for about three decades now.
NASA's stated intent is to maintain a presence in low Earth orbit. By 2028 or shortly after, it hopes to have commercial space stations operating there. But until that time, the International Space Station is NASA's only game in town. Should the Russians become even less reliable, the U.S. space agency has options, but those will take time to implement... (MORE - details)
RELATED (live science): Space station mishap with Russian module more serious than NASA first reported
Nauka module’s near miss raises concerns about future of space station
https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/08/...e-station/
EXCERPT: . . . Given the likelihood that Nauka's errant thruster firing involved human error, that would be at least the third major problem in less than three years resulting from shoddy work. In October 2018, the launch of Russian cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin and NASA astronaut Nick Hague was aborted after a Soyuz booster failure, and the crew had to make an emergency return to Earth. A subsequent investigation found that the side-mounted booster had been improperly mated to the core stage of the Soyuz rocket.
At around the same time, Russia announced that there was a small hole in a different Soyuz vehicle, already attached to the International Space Station. “We are able to narrow down the cause to a technological mistake of a technician," Rogozin said of the problem.
These technical errors have occurred as Roscosmos has had difficulty paying its engineers and technicians a living wage. And now the country's space budget faces further pressure as NASA no longer needs to buy Soyuz seats for its astronauts to ride to the International Space Station—thanks to SpaceX's Crew Dragon vehicle and, hopefully soon, Boeing's Starliner.
Despite all of this, NASA has remained publicly supportive of Russia and its space program. And it has to be relieved that, regardless of its myriad troubles in getting to the space station, Nauka is now there and functional. This is important because it likely cements Russian participation in the space station for the remainder of this decade.
There is no guarantee of that. In recent months Russian officials have begun saying that Roscosmos' existing hardware on orbit, much of which is more than two decades old, is aging beyond repair. The Russians have also suggested they may pull out of the program in 2025 and build a brand-new station. Indeed, just on Saturday, two days after Nauka's troublesome docking, Roscosmos issued a statement saying it was continuing a study of a new station project in low Earth orbit called the Russian Orbital Service Station. This seems very likely to be posturing, as Russia has neither the budget nor likely the ability to rapidly build a new space station.
The question for NASA becomes, then, how long it is willing to rely on a partner that is clearly having technical issues with its workforce, is always asking for more money, and making noises about wanting to exit the space station partnership that has existed for about three decades now.
NASA's stated intent is to maintain a presence in low Earth orbit. By 2028 or shortly after, it hopes to have commercial space stations operating there. But until that time, the International Space Station is NASA's only game in town. Should the Russians become even less reliable, the U.S. space agency has options, but those will take time to implement... (MORE - details)
RELATED (live science): Space station mishap with Russian module more serious than NASA first reported