NASA: Space station may be evacuated by late Nov.

AP via Yahoo! News ^ | 29 August 2011 | Marcia Dunn

[magellan]

NASA says astronauts may need to abandon the International Space Station this fall.

If Russian Soyuz rockets remain grounded beyond mid-November, there will be no way to launch new crews before the current residents are supposed to leave.

A Russian supply ship was destroyed during liftoff last week. The rocket is similar to what's used to launch astronauts.

NASA space station program manager Mike Suffredini said Monday that flight controllers could keep a deserted space station operating indefinitely.

[SoJoCo]

Don’t you mean what was Obama supposed to do about it? That’s who you’re actually defending here, correct?

I'm not defending anyone. Obama, McCain, Bush, Perry, Palin, put whoever you want in the Oval Office right now. What could they do about it? Are you saying that a President McCain or a President Perry could shave 5 to 10 years off of Aries and have it flying tomorrow and at the space station next week?

[SoJoCo]

SpaceX

Regardless of who is president, wouldn't this be a better solution than the Aries/Orion pipe dream? I can't believe that private industry can't do it faster, better, cheaper than the NASA monstrosity.

[mcshot]

We could probably drop in a Chinese junkyard and wait for the check.

[youngidiot]

It's a hunk of crap. It's always been a useless boondoggle.

[onemiddleamerican]

Short sale.

[onemiddleamerican]

Ballistic reentry, courtesy Russian technology. Great.

[central_va]

The Saturn V is the greatest piece of engineering ever. The Saturn V rules.

[2111USMC]

Hey! Are you the guy that sold me that bridge in Brooklyn?

[buccaneer81]

You certainly live up to your screen name.

[youngidiot]

You certainly live up to your screen name.

That was clever. Care to tell us what good it has been?

[NonZeroSum]

It was only completed this year. They’re just starting to do actual research on it. It’s like asking what good the Empire State Building was before it was occupied.

You do live up to your screen name. Though it’s possible, I suppose, that you’re an old idiot masquerading as a young one.

[jesseam]

Re: Columbia, because if its weight was never able to reach the ISS.

The Columbia was lost because of damage to its heat resistant tiles that were struck by foam or ice at launch. It disintegrated on coming back into the atmosphere. :-(

[COBOL2Java]

With Carter, we had the demise of Skylab, with Obama we have the demise of the ISS. I detect a pattern...

[NonZeroSum]

It hasn’t demised yet. It has plenty of life to last until they get Soyuz flying again. And if it really is at risk, they’d probably take a risk to save it.

[youngidiot]

It was only completed this year. They’re just starting to do actual research on it. It’s like asking what good the Empire State Building was before it was occupied.

You do live up to your screen name. Though it’s possible, I suppose, that you’re an old idiot masquerading as a young one.

So, no then? Can't tell us how it's been useful? I stand by my original statement. It's been a gargantuan waste of money.

The empire state building wasn't built with our tax dollars. And it came conveniently equipped with gravity, breathable air, and is located where someone can easily get to it. Nevertheless, I guess you expect the international space station to prove to be just as sound an investment as the Empire State building was? You're the idiot here, not me.

[cruise_missile]

Why is Obama and the democrats so anti-science?

[Talisker]

Hmmmm, sounds like more meat for the conspiracy theorists...

Meat? You've got Obama cancelling the Space Shuttle program, the third stage of a Russian lift system with a perfect 30 year history now meant for crew capabilities exploding before reaching orbit, two (2) Darpa Mach 20 lift vehicles vanishing, and now the announcement of the possibility of completely abandoning the ISS - all within a couple of months.

This isn't meat - it's a five course dinner with separate wines. All that's left is for a girl to pop out of a cake during brandy and cigars.

[buccaneer81]

That had nothing to do with the ISS. Columbia never went anywhere near the station because she wasn’t capable of doing so.

[COBOL2Java]

It hasn’t demised yet. It has plenty of life to last until they get Soyuz flying again. And if it really is at risk, they’d probably take a risk to save it.

Well, I'm glad to hear that. I was around when Skylab came back to earth. I know that NASA scientists claimed that it would crash anyway before the Space Shuttle was completed, but some argued that it would stay in orbit. It just seemed to the average American like Carter threw it away.

[COBOL2Java]

Why is Obama and the democrats so anti-science?

They're pro-science as long as it comes up with new and marvelous ways of ripping a fetus from its mother.