On 21 Aug 2005 01:51:51 GMT, (Andre Lieven)
wrote:


What is it about ISS that precludes its operation without Shuttle?

Delivery and removal of tonnage loads of hardware and consumables,
along with significant orbital re-boosts.

Soyuz/Progress cannot do all that.

Soyuz/Progress, ATV, and HTV can, however.

It's not a perfect solution, of course. Working out a way to send up
replacement CMGs would be a priority. But the ability to get along
without Shuttle seems to me to be simply a matter of money: how many
ATVs are the Europeans willing to pay for. How many more Soyuz or
Progress missions can the Russians scrape up the money for?

Brian