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ISS Crew Stuck In Orbit While Russia Assesses Rocket
astroengine sends word that the astronauts aboard the International Space Station will be staying up there longer than expected while engineers for Russia's space program try to figure out if it's safe to launch more rockets. The recent Russian cargo mission that spun out of control and eventually fell back into the atmosphere sparked worries that a vessel sent to retrieve the astronauts wouldn't make it all the way to the ISS's orbit. Roscosmos and NASA said the next rocket launch will be postponed at least two months. Even though the Russian cargo ship failed to reach the ISS, they have plenty of food, water, and air to last them to the next scheduled supply run — a SpaceX launch in late June.
Is there anything that guy can't do?
No problem, they can just drink sewage like in California.
They're the closest next best backup for the Russian flights. Also they're not run by a government with a national leader who does bizarre things even by national leader standards. Yes, I understand that's not a tremendously high bar, but it's worth a look.
"Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
...looks like something out of Kerbal Space Program.
They have a Soyuz attached to the station and can use that to return to Earth if they need to.
They're just postponing a scheduled crew change, which is possible because despite the Progress failure, they still have enough supplies to last them until the next scheduled supply run.
They should have made the USA contractually obligated to have its own crew-capable craft ready to go before retiring the space shuttle, otherwise face some kind of penalty clause in the ISS agreement.
Independent failures that pile up can be bad. Of course, just checking the safety for two months is far different from being unable to retrieve them.
Houston Control: "...and, uh, your luggage went to Mars."
Table-ized A.I.
If they vacate the premises, they might have to worry about squatters.
Full disclosure, I see no downside with Elon turning space pirate.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Where does the shit go ? Do they have a place for two more months' worth of crap ? I mean - seriously...
Religous speak to God. Insane are spoken to by God. When all shut up, one can finally hear Shostakovich in peace
The coffeemaker still works.... right?
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
The rocket assesses you!
"Another month in outer space? (sigh) Oh, darn... (smirk)" or "Man, this is bullshit!"
.
Prisencolinensinainciusol. Ol Rait!
Space Squatters... The reality show that follows a bunch of ragtag astronauts who occupy the ISS and won't leave, as no evicting authority has jurisdiction!!
Fridays at 8, this fall on TLC!!!
General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
is a trampoline. :D
I suggest Space Oddity
For not having their own "capsule" system, they shelved in the 70's. Should have NEVER stopped upgrading Apollo.
And this is exactly the kind of crap you'd expect when you put zero new dollars into your space program, make huge cutbacks resulting in massive lay offs of your best and brightest, and then cancel a perfectly serviceable shuttle program and expect your cold-war enemy to continue to provide service.
America, home of the brave and land of the idiots. Creator of the first official Idiocracy.
"where will you be when that moment comes?" i dont see a mars landing anytime in the next 100 years at this rate.
"sparked worries that a vessel sent to retrieve the astronauts wouldn't make it all the way to the ISS's orbit."
Both Soyuz spacecraft that brought the 6 astronauts to ISS are still parked at ISS waiting to take them home. They aren't "stuck in orbit". They can come home anytime they need to. Russia is just changing the scheduling for the next regular crew rotation.
The program was cancelled by the Bush II administration in 2004. The last flight happened while Obama was president, following a 1 year funding extension of funding authorized by congress in 2009 that made the last flight in 2011 rather than the originally scheduled 2010. If enough Americans told their senators and reps "I'll only vote for you if you get us another crew vehicle" we would have one in less than six years.
"Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
NASA did not choose that. Nixon did.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Actually, you can thank idiots, like yourself. W killed the shuttle and stopped all manufacturing lines by 2007. Had O restarted the shuttle program, at a cost of half of NASA's budget, the very first flight MIGHT have been this year.
OTOH, had the neo-cons not killed off cots-d , we would have had manned flights back in 2013 or earlier.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Had Congress provided the budget that was asked for by 0bama the past few years, we would have had manned commercial crew flights THIS YEAR, in TWO completely different sets of vehicles. As much as I don't like him for anything else, he's been right about what we need to do with NASA. Except for that "inspiring Muslims" bit, which I think came from inside NASA anyhow.
The worst they can find.