Slashdot Mirror


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.

3 of 105 comments (clear)

  1. Not stuck in orbit! by hackertourist · · Score: 5, Informative

    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.

  2. Re:Elon Musk to the rescue once again by TWX · · Score: 5, Funny

    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.
  3. Re:Always have a redundancy by TWX · · Score: 5, Interesting

    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.