Aug 4, 2010

Posted by in NASA, current, private

We still have the International Space Station

The International Space Station: Still up there...and thank goodness!

America’s future in space is uncertain. The Obama Administration has a plan—albeit a vague one—and Congress is playing with that plan, making alterations and, of course, controlling the budget.

The Shuttle program is ending, Constellation is doomed. We are probably entering an exciting era of private spaceflight, including private manned spaceflight. But we don’t know when or if Americans will ever get beyond earth orbit. Nor do we have a clue what vehicle they might take to get there.

ISS Not Canceled

Still, we have the International Space Station. It’s not perfect—and it is, in some ways I think, entirely superfluous. Although science is performed there, the mission of the ISS is muddy at best. It has, however, marked the (seemingly) start of the permanent human habitation of space. (This could change…if something goes wrong.)

But, whatever its shortcomings, as the New York Times points out, with everything else canceled or at least in question, the ISS provides a rare and important bulwark of stability in our—and the world’s—space program.

Almost Retired

And to think: the ISS had been slated for retirement by 2016. Now, we are trying to extend that to 2020…and hopefully more. Keeping it alive and viable may be tough. With the shuttle retiring next year, and nothing specific even on the drawing board, it’s practically all we have left.

  • Volker

    As usual, I agree with everything you said about the necessity of the ISS. However, I don’t like being the one who always points back to early Russian achievements, but the ISS did not mark the start of the permanent human habitation of space. That happened more that 14 years earlier!
    Ever since the liftoff of Soviet Soyuz-T 15 on March 13, 1986, there has been a permanent presence of humans in space. Today it seems like the flight of Leonid Kizim and Vladimir Solovyov is almost forgotten, but for me it is still one of the most legendary ones: Until this day, Soyuz-T 15 was the only spacecraft ever to visit not one but two space stations. It was the first manned craft to dock with Mir and the last one to dock with Salyut 7.

    So lets not forget: the permanent human habitation of space did not start with the ISS, but with Mir. during its 14-year lifespan, Mir hosted cosmonauts and astronauts from 12 countries – and with a Russian name that means both world and peace, Mir was not only the first permanently populated human outpost in space, but it truly was the first international space station!

  • Ray Katz

    I did not know that! I didn’t know mankind had a permanent human presence in space that long.

    However, I did know about Soyuz T-15. That was an incredible flight. I wrote about it here.

  • Volker

    I was wrong!

    There were brief interruptions in the habitation of Mir. The first crew left 7/16/86 and the second crew arrived 2/5/87. Then, the third crew left 4/27/89 and the fourth crew arrived 9/5/89.

    Mir was then constantly occupied from 9/5/89 until 8/28/99, but there was another period of unmanned operation before the last crew arrived on 4/4/2000 to prepare the station for its final journey.

    And after the last crew left on 6/16/2000, there was another almost five months gap before the first crew arrived at the ISS.

    So, Ray, my apologies, you were right as always: the current uninterrupted cycle of human habitation in space started with the ISS!