NASA turns down Russian proposal for year-long ISS stay
Posted: Tue, Apr 20, 2004, 10:44 AM ET (1444 GMT)
NASA rejected Monday a Russian request to have the next ISS expedition remain on the station an extra year so that Russia can sell extra seats on a Soyuz taxi flight. Russian officials proposed last month that the Expedition 10 crew, scheduled to fly to the station in October, remain on the station for a full year as opposed to the normal six months. This would allow Russia to sell an additional seat on the April 2005 Soyuz taxi flight to a paying customer, such as a space tourist or European astronaut, since the spacecraft would not have to carry a two-man replacement crew. However, NASA officials said in a statement Monday that because the station is in a 'reduced operational state', it would not be appropriate to have a crew remain on the station for a full year. The statement also noted that the station doesn't have sufficient countermeasures in place to handle the effects of that long a stay in weightlessness on the human body. NASA did say it was open to longer crew stays at some point in the future, however.
NASA rejected Monday a Russian request to have the next ISS expedition remain on the station an extra year so that Russia can sell extra seats on a Soyuz taxi flight. Russian officials proposed last month that the Expedition 10 crew, scheduled to fly to the station in October, remain on the station for a full year as opposed to the normal six months. This would allow Russia to sell an additional seat on the April 2005 Soyuz taxi flight to a paying customer, such as a space tourist or European astronaut, since the spacecraft would not have to carry a two-man replacement crew. However, NASA officials said in a statement Monday that because the station is in a 'reduced operational state', it would not be appropriate to have a crew remain on the station for a full year. The statement also noted that the station doesn't have sufficient countermeasures in place to handle the effects of that long a stay in weightlessness on the human body. NASA did say it was open to longer crew stays at some point in the future, however.| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Wednesday, October 14
CSG Sets Sights on Space With Around $434 Million Stake in Canada’s MDA Space
Wall Street Journal — 6:30 am ET (1030 GMT) Czech defence company CSG buys 9.5% stake in MDA Space
Canadian Press — 6:29 am ET (1029 GMT) Europe’s CSG Becomes Largest Shareholder of MDA Space
ViaSatellite — 6:29 am ET (1029 GMT) Czech CSG Acquires 9.5% Stake In Canadarm Developer MDA
Aviation Week — 6:29 am ET (1029 GMT) Student-built SCAMPI experiment launches to the International Space Station
ESA — 6:28 am ET (1028 GMT) |
