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Question regarding the end of the Shuttle program



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 15th 04, 07:13 AM
JazzMan
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Default Question regarding the end of the Shuttle program

I was reading another post that indicated that the Shuttle
program is going to be ended in 6, maybe 7 years tops, and
it occurred to me to wonder, what will replace it? I've not
heard of any concrete programs to replace the Shuttle, and
since it would take at least ten years to get something up
and running it's going to be at least 2004-2005 before that
replacement actually happens, if at all. That leaves a good
four to five (if not more) gap where we won't have the ability
to launch anything anywhere. Does that mean that ISS will
be decommissioned and deorbited at that point since there
won't be any way to service it or, more importantly, reboost
it? If that is the case, why bother finishing it?

I had always thought of ISS as the first real step toward
fulfilling humankind's destiny to be spacefarers, but now
it's looking like more of a way to blow a few hundred
billion dollars on nothing.

JazzMan
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  #2  
Old February 15th 04, 04:42 PM
Jorge R. Frank
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Default Question regarding the end of the Shuttle program

JazzMan wrote in :

I was reading another post that indicated that the Shuttle
program is going to be ended in 6, maybe 7 years tops, and
it occurred to me to wonder, what will replace it?


CEV, also called Project Constellation.

I've not
heard of any concrete programs to replace the Shuttle, and
since it would take at least ten years to get something up
and running it's going to be at least 2004-2005 before that
replacement actually happens, if at all.


You probably meant to write 2014, not 2004, and you're right. CEV is
planned to make its first manned flights in 2014.

That leaves a good
four to five (if not more) gap where we won't have the ability
to launch anything anywhere. Does that mean that ISS will
be decommissioned and deorbited at that point since there
won't be any way to service it or, more importantly, reboost
it? If that is the case, why bother finishing it?


No, it means that the US will be depending on its international partners
(or commercial vehicles, if available) to carry crews to ISS during the
gap. The US plans to stay in the ISS program until 2016.

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JRF

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  #3  
Old February 15th 04, 06:15 PM
Brian Thorn
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Default Question regarding the end of the Shuttle program

On Sun, 15 Feb 2004 00:13:20 -0600, JazzMan
wrote:

I was reading another post that indicated that the Shuttle
program is going to be ended in 6, maybe 7 years tops, and
it occurred to me to wonder, what will replace it?


The "Constellation" project is likely to result in a family of
spacecraft built around a common re-entry vehicle. ISS crew rotation
and unmanned cargo delivery might be handled by versions of
Constellation, which is also intended for lunar and other deep space
missions.

I've not
heard of any concrete programs to replace the Shuttle, and
since it would take at least ten years to get something up
and running it's going to be at least 2004-2005 before that
replacement actually happens, if at all.


Constellation is the successor to Orbital Space Plane, and draws on a
lot of development work already under way during the last two years.

That leaves a good
four to five (if not more) gap where we won't have the ability
to launch anything anywhere. Does that mean that ISS will
be decommissioned and deorbited at that point since there
won't be any way to service it or, more importantly, reboost
it? If that is the case, why bother finishing it?


Soyuz, Progress, ATV, and HTV will all still remain in service after
Shuttle retirement. It is also possible that early versions of
Constellation will be available for unmanned cargo delivery to ISS
after 2010.

Brian
  #4  
Old February 16th 04, 07:28 PM
Bootstrap Bill
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Default Question regarding the end of the Shuttle program


"Jorge R. Frank" wrote in message
...
JazzMan wrote in :

No, it means that the US will be depending on its international partners
(or commercial vehicles, if available) to carry crews to ISS during the
gap. The US plans to stay in the ISS program until 2016.


Does NASA plan to replace the ISS by then? If not, why not stay with the
program until a replacement is built?



  #5  
Old February 16th 04, 11:27 PM
Jorge R. Frank
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Default Question regarding the end of the Shuttle program

"Bootstrap Bill" wrote in
:


"Jorge R. Frank" wrote in message
...
JazzMan wrote in :

No, it means that the US will be depending on its international partners
(or commercial vehicles, if available) to carry crews to ISS during the
gap. The US plans to stay in the ISS program until 2016.


Does NASA plan to replace the ISS by then?


No.

If not, why not stay with the
program until a replacement is built?


Because the remainder of the US' involvement in the ISS program is being
refocused on countermeasures for astronaut health on long-duration missions
to the moon and/or Mars. This work is supposed to be complete by 2016. This
allows the money otherwise spent on ISS to be redirected to the moon/Mars
program after that date. Building a replacement station would defeat the
purpose.

--
JRF

Reply-to address spam-proofed - to reply by E-mail,
check "Organization" (I am not assimilated) and
think one step ahead of IBM.
  #6  
Old February 17th 04, 01:51 AM
drdoody
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Default Question regarding the end of the Shuttle program




Because the remainder of the US' involvement in the ISS program is being
refocused on countermeasures for astronaut health on long-duration

missions
to the moon and/or Mars. This work is supposed to be complete by 2016.

This
allows the money otherwise spent on ISS to be redirected to the moon/Mars
program after that date. Building a replacement station would defeat the
purpose.



How long is ISS supposed to last?

Doc

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with dwarf, white with fetus.

Semolina Pilchard


  #7  
Old February 17th 04, 02:37 AM
Jorge R. Frank
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Default Question regarding the end of the Shuttle program

"drdoody" wrote in
gy.com:




Because the remainder of the US' involvement in the ISS program is
being refocused on countermeasures for astronaut health on
long-duration

missions
to the moon and/or Mars. This work is supposed to be complete by
2016.

This
allows the money otherwise spent on ISS to be redirected to the
moon/Mars program after that date. Building a replacement station
would defeat the purpose.



How long is ISS supposed to last?


Its rated lifetime is 15 years. Its first element was launched in 1998.
However, it will likely last longer than its rated lifetime.


--
JRF

Reply-to address spam-proofed - to reply by E-mail,
check "Organization" (I am not assimilated) and
think one step ahead of IBM.
  #8  
Old February 17th 04, 05:42 AM
Allen Thomson
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Default Question regarding the end of the Shuttle program

"Jorge R. Frank" wrote


Because the remainder of the US' involvement in the ISS program
is being refocused on countermeasures for astronaut health on
long-duration missions to the moon and/or Mars.


This may be unfairly early to ask the question, but what kinds of
long-duration astronaut health programs on ISS are envisaged?
  #10  
Old February 17th 04, 05:10 PM
Andres del Pozo
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Default Question regarding the end of the Shuttle program

Brian Thorn wrote in message . ..
Soyuz, Progress, ATV, and HTV will all still remain in service after
Shuttle retirement. It is also possible that early versions of
Constellation will be available for unmanned cargo delivery to ISS
after 2010.


Why ESA should keep developing its ISS hardware? The final capacity of
three astronauts is not going to be enough for doing meaningful
research with Columbus, the european laboratory. If Columbus is not
going to be used, why ESA is going to pay its share of ISS maintenance
with ATV?

Probably the japanese agency is thinking the same.

Andrés.
 




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