Technology news and Jobs arrow Science arrow Jules Verne exits Space Station for destruct sequence
Jules Verne exits Space Station for destruct sequence E-mail
by William Atkins   
Sunday, 07 September 2008


With the United States in a quandary with respect to its ability to get its NASA astronauts back and forth between the International Space Station after it retires its space shuttle fleet in 2010, the ESA is considering the possibility of turning the unmanned ATVs into a crewed ATV.

If ESA officials decide to make the change, the new manned ATVs will have the ability to de-orbit from space and descent safety through the Earth’s atmosphere for a controlled landing back on Earth.

However, several years will be needed to make such changes in the vehicle.

NASA is also considering the possibility of extending the operations of the space shuttle fleet past its declared retirement year of 2010.

The concern has been increased due to the instablity with Russia-U.S. relations after Russia invaded Georgia with intentions of, possibly, gaining additional lands lost during the breakup of the U.S.S.R. Russia currently sends unmanned and crewed spacecraft back and forth from the ISS.

The International Space Station will see another craft visiting soon. The ISS will be visited by a Russian Progress 30 unmanned cargo ship on Friday, September 12, 2008.

It will be launched from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome two days earlier, on Wednesday.

Currently, the Progress 29 spacecraft is orbiting the Earth, after it departed the ISS on September 1, 2008, from the Zarva module.

It will be deorbited on Monday, September 8, 2008, where it will be also destroyed during a controlled descent through Earth’s atmosphere.

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