Space Stations: Past, Present, And Future

[willedoo]

The question with the ISS now is how long it will continue to operate. Russia has participation obligations until 2025 at this stage. After that date, they're expecting the failure of a lot of components due to age. The Russian president has just signed off on plans to put up their own space station (named ROSS), which could be ready for deployment after 2024. The plans are for a relatively small station of from three to seven modules, able to house up to four cosmonauts.

 

Roscosmos has also signed a moon exploration deal with China where they will share a Lunar station. It's early days yet to predict the ISS end of life, but I can't see how it could continue to operate without the Russians.

[octave]

I think the future of ISS will be commercial rather than government.  NASA & Axiom Space Designing Commercial Expansion Of Space Station

 

Also just announced As Artemis Moves Forward, NASA Picks SpaceX to Land Next Americans on Moon

[octave]

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Just Turned Martian CO2 Into Oxygen

[onetrack]

I reckon the astronauts who have volunteered to go into space on a SpaceX rocket, must be the biggest guinea pigs around, when you see SpaceX's abysmal record of successful rocket launches.

[octave]

21 minutes ago, onetrack said:

I reckon the astronauts who have volunteered to go into space on a SpaceX rocket, must be the biggest guinea pigs around, when you see SpaceX's abysmal record of successful rocket launches.

 

Space x in general has a great record being the only private company to launch people into space  (crew dragon.)  A crew dragon launch is coming up soon.   If you are talking about starship, it is early days similar to the early days of NASA.  Rockets exploded all the time.   The good thing about Space x is its iterative approach.   It is not a case of launch a rocket and it explodes so launch another and hope it works.  If you follow it closely you will see that each launch fixes a number of problems.   NASA has chosen Space X for both transport crews to ISS and as the preferred partner for the Artimis program.     Before anyone travels on starship there will be many successful tests including an uncrewed moon landing.  

 

This is an interesting interview with Elon Musk and the head of NASA, Jim Bridenstine.  Bridenstine makes the the point that it could not use the approach that space x uses for political and PR reasons, this is why it is the ideal partnership. At the 4:26 point of this video Jim Bridenstine articulates why its partnership with space x is so productive.

 

Exclusive interview with Elon Musk and Jim Bridenstine about  SpaceX's first crewed launch!

 

 

I would not hop aboard  a starship yet but then I would not have hopped aboard the wright flyer either. 

 

 

[willedoo]

On 17/04/2021 at 3:17 PM, octave said:

I think the future of ISS will be commercial rather than government.  NASA & Axiom Space Designing Commercial Expansion Of Space Station

 

Also just announced As Artemis Moves Forward, NASA Picks SpaceX to Land Next Americans on Moon

It makes sense to use what sections they can of the ISS to build something new. The Russian section has had it's day. It provides the propulsion systems for the ISS and most of the life support systems, but there's all probability that new modular systems could be added to replace them. A bit like grafting a new head on an old body.

[Old Koreelah]

Spot on, Willedo. Any talk of de-orbiting this massive station is crazy.

Even if they keep it up there for scrap, it’s worth the effort. It cost billions to get all that metal up there, so why dump it in the ocean?

[octave]

i believe the plan is to gradually add commercial modules with there own power supply (solar panels etc) and when the commercial sections are self sufficient the old iss may be deorbited. It will be a bit like Paddy's axe.   Here is a video that explains the plan at this stage.

 

NASA & Axiom Space Designing Commercial Expansion Of Space Station 

[octave]

Watch NASA's SpaceX Crew-2 Launch to the International Space Station

[willedoo]

43 minutes ago, octave said:

Watch NASA's SpaceX Crew-2 Launch to the International Space Station

Interesting to see them following a tradition of signing their names on the wall. If you go up in the Soyuz, the tradition is to pee on the rear wheel of the crew bus. Even Valentina Tereshkova did it. All started by Yuri Gagarin having to make a pit stop on the way to the launch pad. I don't know if the foreign astronauts do it on the Soyuz launches or just the Russians.

[willedoo]

Video describing the Soyuz two orbit, three hour technique.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUi0yWc5Dnw

Edited April 24, 2021 by willedoo

[octave]

Crew-2 Mission | Approach and Docking

[octave]

Astronaut Michael Collins, Apollo 11 pilot, dies of cancer

[willedoo]

Interview with the new director of the ISS.

 

https://www.miragenews.com/envisioning-a-low-earth-orbit-economy-552515/

[willedoo]

I see that on Thursday, China launched into space the core module of their proposed space station.

[octave]

SpaceX's Starship SN15 prototype successfully lands in one piece No explosions so far.

[facthunter]

We now have a 21 ton Chinese rocket booster landing where we know NOT in a few days. Surprised MORE hasn't been said about it.  Last I monitored it,  it was 230Kms up and doing 27000kms/hr . It's unlikely to all burn up on re-entry. Nev

[spacesailor]

Make a great  ' coffee table ' talking ' found it'  .

spacesailor

[Marty_d]

Somewhere in the Pacific, last I heard.

[spacesailor]

WHO'S FOR A SWIM ?.

Is the water still warm ?.

OOOPs wrong coast. Any chance of Coral coast, it's warmer, Always.

spacesailor

[nomadpete]

27 minutes ago, Marty_d said:

Somewhere in the Pacific, last I heard.

That's what the yanks said - right up until spacelab crashed onto Australian soil

[onetrack]

The report I read on the ABC news said the last indicated splash point for the Chinese rocket, was in the Indian Ocean to the West of W.A. Perhaps we'll have another Skylab! The original one was a ripper!

[facthunter]

It can't be predicted with any accuracy at all, until maybe the last few hours. Too many unknowns. The fact it's tumbling is one of them, PLUS it's going very fast so a small time means a large distance. A fairly large lump should  remain so it may be spectacular.   Nev

[onetrack]

The scientists haven't got a clue at present, even though they're predicting a re-entry on Sunday May 9 at 03:43UTC. That makes for it landing in Africa.

 

But then they add, + or - 16hrs! It could be anywhere, with that level of forward planning accuracy!

 

https://aerospace.org/reentries/cz-5b-rocket-body-id-48275

[willedoo]

Some information on China's space station.

 

https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2021/05/chinas-tiangong-space-station-what-it-is-what-its-for-and-how-to-see-it/