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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.
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."
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.
Apparently he can't land a rocket on a barge intact, but they're working on that.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
The ISS is recycling California sewage in space? No wonder my sewage bill was so expensive in Silicon Valley.
Wasn't one of the SpaceX Dragon capsules sent up as a supply ship to the station actually fully equipped with the necessary seating and everything? They're not certified for a crew yet, but I suspect if it came down to it, that certification could be obtained relatively quickly if the Russians suddenly proved incapable of ferrying passengers to the station.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
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
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."