To understand the engineering challenge facing space station operators, it helps to visualize the 900,000-pound structure as it orbits the Earth, 260 miles up, streaking through space at 5 miles per second and enduring temperature swings of 500 degrees Fahrenheit as it moves from sunlight to shadow and back again. segment of the outpost was declared complete after the final shuttle flight in July 2011. NASA modified the assembly sequence in the wake of the 2003 Columbia disaster and a subsequent decision by the Bush administration to retire the shuttle by the end of the decade. The two were connected during a 1998 shuttle flight. The second was the Unity connecting node, right. The Russian-built NASA-financed Zarya module, left, was the first component of the International Space Station to reach orbit. Two weeks later, a space shuttle carried the first NASA component into orbit, the Unity connecting node, and the two were "mated" to form the core of the station. It was launched 15 years ago this November by a Proton rocket. The first element of what would become the ISS was the NASA-financed, Russian-built Zarya propulsion and storage module, also known as the Functional Cargo Block, or FGB. "But 2028's kind of where we're drawing our line today based on the original design of the structure." An Engineering Marvel As we start getting beyond 2028, if it makes sense, and things aren't failing at a rate that makes it difficult for us to keep up, and the country thinks it's the right thing to do, then we can look at going beyond that. "All our analysis kind of says we think we can get to 2028 and that's the path we're headed on. "2028 might be possible, but it also might be very challenging because then you're talking about the cost of replacing big things that may be prohibitive. "When we get to 2028, the solar arrays are going to be struggling, I'm probably going to have a handful of radiator lines that have been isolated," he said. But Suffredini said no major surprises have cropped up so far and he's optimistic the station eventually can be cleared to fly through 2028 - in theory, at least. The Boeing analysis is not yet complete and additional work will be needed to to show the lab can be safely operated beyond 2020. Russian engineers are assessing their own hardware, as are the other international partners. segment of the complex can safely operate through the end of the decade. commercial spacecraft or Russian Soyuz capsules.īoeing, NASA's space station prime contractor, is currently conducting a detailed engineering analysis to verify that the U.S. While the engineering and management challenges associated with keeping the station operational are daunting, ISS program manager Michael Suffredini says they should be doable, as long as NASA has the resources to build spare parts, pay for cargo launches and provide transportation for U.S. Barring a catastrophic malfunction or damaging impacts from space debris, NASA should be able to keep the International Space Station (ISS) in operation at least through 2020 and, with steady funding, careful planning and a bit of luck, through 2028 - the 30th anniversary of the first module's launch - officials say.īut reduced power from degraded solar arrays and other crippling consequences of decades spent in the extreme environment of space will slowly but surely take their toll and the cost-benefit ratio eventually will tilt in favor of abandonment and a fiery controlled re-entry.
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