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Space Stations: Past, Present, And Future


octave

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  • 1 month later...

NASA has set the date for the ISS end of life at 2030. By 2031 it will be brought down. The plan for the next nine years is to transition to commercial services. Russian space agency Roscosmos has said they will stay on until then. Their current status has put an end to all other space cooperation with the US, and also with their partnership with the European Space Agency.

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3 hours ago, Jerry_Atrick said:

Wow! Who would have thought that one?

Jerry, I was just trying to provide some information. The main effect it will have is on the internet satellite launches from French Guyana. Probably not a big effect in the long term as there will be alternative launch vehicles they can use. As far as NASA's Atlas V goes, I think NASA has enough stockpiled engines they've bought to last until the rocket's retirement.

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Roscosmos have commented on changes of plans due to sanctions. They say they will shift focus to development of defence satellites, and other short to medium term plans will go ahead as Russia increases it's ability to domestically produce electrical components. They also said they will no longer supply rocket engines to the US. This won't worry the Atlas V programme, as they have enough RD-180 engines stockpiled for the remaining launches until retirement. The Antares rocket also uses Russian engines Rd-181.

 

The head of Roscosmos asked the Americans how they would operate and maintain the ISS if they sever ties with Russia, and NASA reiterated that it was staying in touch with Roscosmos to keep the International Space Station operational. The Russians also announced that joint experiments with Germany at the ISS will cease. Normally politics doesn't compromise ISS operations, but this is an exceptional circumstance.

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  • 1 month later...

The actual release and launch of the pod could provide for some interesting major cock-ups. I cannot see how they can manage the release timing and centrifugal forces upon launch with such millisecond timing needed, and a need to readjust the forces between spinning and straight flight. It's not exactly the same as launching a shotput.

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10 hours ago, onetrack said:

The actual release and launch of the pod could provide for some interesting major cock-ups. I cannot see how they can manage the release timing and centrifugal forces upon launch with such millisecond timing needed, and a need to readjust the forces between spinning and straight flight. It's not exactly the same as launching a shotput.

I assume there'd be a lot of testing and simulations to ensure the release process could meet the exact timing required, before they attempt a full size throw.  One thing's for sure, on the first few launches (maybe all launches) there wouldn't be a human within a kilometer of the launch site!

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  • 2 weeks later...
28 minutes ago, nomadpete said:

Octave, thanks for that link. Interesting to see the results of our early attempts to spread litter around the universe.

 

I see it more like historic shipwreck sites.  Do we consider Shackleton 's recently discovered ship the Endurance to be littering or an artifact of the human races curiosity about what is in the next valley or continent or planet.  I suspect that if the human race loses its curiosity then it will ossify and die out.  I do believe that if life on Mars is discovered, no matter how simple, we should leave the planet alone.

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I understand your point. However, the human race might benefit from collectively shouldering responsibility for our discarded trash. For example, fortunately Exxon Valdez was not left as a testamant of capitalist adventure (sarcastic comparison). And at the time, Shackleton's ship was abandoned like an empty Coke can. I guess it could serve to remind us of the importance of proper prior planning.

But the picture of the amazing amount of space trash left orbiting our own planet certainly is an example of disregard for consequences of our collective carelessness.

Edited by nomadpete
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I'm sure Shackletons ship was not abandoned lightly as it was their only way of getting back to the more habitable parts of our Planet , and Captains don't like losing their ship as a matter of Pride and professionalism. The forces of nature dwarf our puny attempts to cope at times. It would be a shipwreck of some significance  by any measure.  Nev

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I don't think the debris from the landing of the Perseverance rover was wanton littering.    I guess the choice to be made is do we explore the solar system or not?     Perhaps we wait until we can recover everything we send.    Were the Pioneer and Voyager litter?   Are Apollo sites on the Moon just rubbish dumps.       There is no way of landing on Mars without leaving something.

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I don't disagree Nev.

My point is that humans have an 'out of sight, out of mind' outlook.

So the ocean (and outer space) is used as a endless waste bin. Once we can no longer see a discarded item, in our collective minds it ceases to exist. Same applies whether it is a broken spaceship, expensive broken expedetion ship. Just look what our oceans have become because of our entitled attitude to waste

 

Shackleton's ship is still an interesting artefact.

Spacecraft are approaching reusability, so hopefully we will cut down on our litter.

Edited by nomadpete
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IF there is life on Mars and we bring it to here, we have no way of knowing it's effect. There's no place on earth as hostile to life as Mars is..  The Earth is a unique place as far as suitability for human (and other forms of life) is concerned. We should show it the respect due. People who trash it are anti life. The health of our planet and ours are intertwined. .Nev

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Good point, PM.

So I went down the google rabbit hole in search of data. There isn't much.

This quote came from the International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings in 2005, but I couldn't find any follow-up of their findings.....

 

".... .global marine pollution threat from over 7800 sunken WWII vessels worldwide, including over 860 oil tankers, corroding for over 60 years at the bottom of the worlds oceans...... "

 

It gives an idea of the size of the WW2 polluting event, buteven so, the actual environmental impact iisperhaps just a drop in the ocean.

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Thread drift, but it is interesting.... Until now I was only thinking about oil spills.

 

" Current estimates indicate over 300,000 tonnes of chemical warfare agents in the waters around  
Europe alone, mostly dumped deliberately after the war (Plunkett 2003a, Kaffka 1996). Over  
4900 tonnes of CWA was dumped off Japan after instructions from the US occupation forces  
and over 21,000 tonnes of CWA disposed in Australian waters (Plunket 2003b)"

 

They call this 'our cultural heritage' from the period!

 

 

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