4 janvier 2021

Ronald Reagan announced that the United States would put a As clock ticks station , eventually dubbed , into orbit But after different Freedom, administrations and design changes , the first segments spacestation weren' t launched until 1998 . Since then , NASA has invested more than $100 billion in the facility , which receives more than $3 replacements billionannually from NASA. Privately run stations would also need time to build their raise cases profiles business , signing foreign governmentsas tenants , working Commercialprojectsin development with companies and universities asNASAlooksat and time that want to do research in space, money and tourists who would pay required to avoidaservicegap millionsof dollars to visit. While NASA and the private an from December 1998 , image sector work toward developing the robot arm of space shuttle Endeavour moves away commercial habitats , China is from the docked and Zarya modules the Unity during building its own space station that assembly of the International Space Station. it hopes to launch within a couple BY CHRISTIAN DAVENPORT station . If it' s retired without a of years and is recruiting backup , NASA would face an " countriesaround the world as

" has good bones , as the real existentialchallenge , as one top partners. The United States would not estate agents would say. Sleeps six , space agency official put it , with be one of them , however , since or more , Upgraded bathroom. no place for its astronauts to go. NASA is effectively barred by law Gym . Indoor garden . Parking for There are several companies from partnering with China in as many as eight visitor vehicles. working to develop a commercial space.

station and at "I And you can' t beat the location - space looking think it would be a tragedy if , 240 miles high with superb views variousoptions: a modern version of after all of this time and all of this of Earth: Truly all the best low what is there now , a station with effort , we were to abandon low Earth orbit has to offer! modules that inflate like balloons Earth orbit and cede that and one that would " But after hosting a rotating cast refurbish territoryNASA Administrator Jim of astronauts for more than 20 discardedrocket stages that are Bridenstine told a Senate panel in years straight , the International oatingaround in orbit 2020. Those show Space Station is showing its age - options promise , The space station has some but are and recently sprang another tiny they unproven years good years left , officials said. from the market. " leak - and NASA is already hitting We' re good from an engineering As a result NASA been " shoppingfor a new spread for its , has standpoint , Joel Montalbano , concerned that it could astronauts. increasingly NASA' s space station program have a in low Earth orbit -that The space agency is confident gap manager , said in an interview. would be even more " " that its international partners and We' re cleared through 2028 . consequentialthanthe Congress will agree to extend the ignominious period Boeing , which is paid $225 after the shuttle fleet was station' slife beyond 2024 ,its space millionper year as the prime retired that expirationdate . The Senate recently left the space agency contractorsupporting space station no to astronauts to passed a NASA authorization bill with way get operations, said the station could stay U.S that would extend that to 2030. space from . soil . Instead. in orbit for even longer. NASA was to on Russia " But space is harsh , the station is forced rely The ISS is incredibly healthy , for rides at a that to as aging and at some point it will , price grew with life capability well beyond much as million a seat before " have to come down , $90 , 2030 , said John Mulholland , comes next t Elan Musk' s SpaceX in 2020 What , though , isn' Boeing's space station program certain. restoredhuman spaceflight for manager. He said the United States and NASA. Under President Thump , NASA Russia recently completed a life Even extended " has been working to return if the station is , extension study and all the astronautsto the moon under an NASA needs to be working on its hardwarehas been cleared to a officials said It took acceleratedtimeline . But the first big replacement , . minimumof 2030 . That' s a real to the station test the incoming Biden years get existing up testamentto the design and the and The was " administrationwillface in space could running . concept maintenancethat' s been done on it . born in 1984 when President well be the future of the space , Recently , the station got new

Tous droits de reproduction réservés 4 janvier 2021

" lithium-ion batteries that are less Waxy of a gap , Bridenstine has Developing a private space than half the size of the original increasingly been sounding the stationcould takejust as long , batteries and produce twice the alarm , urging Congress to fully industryofficials said which is why " , power , Mulholland said . The fund the requests to build a NASA and the private sector need power upgrade also doubled the commercialpresence in Earth orbit to get moving. s " speed at which the station' crew that would include private It' s very apparent to everybody can send data from science stations. that when the comes to the experimentsback to Earth. NASA re Last year , requested end of its life , we' not going to Over the years , the station' s $150 million aspart of its plan ,but replace it with another $100 " waterrecovery system has improved Congress granted just a tenth of billionstation , Bridenstine said. " to the point where today , 95 that For the fiscal 2021 budget , The transition needs to be to percentof the water used for drinking NASA requested the same amount commercial space stations . Not and cooking is recycled , but will receive just $17 million , just one , but multiple Montalbanosaid . The communications sparking a new round of There are several companies " systems have also been upgraded , warnings:ISS won' t last forever & NASA is hoping will help it as have life support systems incentivizing the private sector to continuethe American presence in low includingcarbon dioxide removal. begin follow-on capabilities are Earth orbit. Still , just like a house , things needed now said Lori Garver , Axiom Space , a Houston-based break . Since a roof could who served leaky as NASA deputy company is working toward have dire consequences in space , administratorin the Obama building a commercial space and no or electricians " t plumbers administration. This concept isn' hard , stationthat would be a modern are going to make a house call , have we learned nothing in the versionof the one in use now , with " astronauts are trained to repair last 10 years? some " key upgrades. the toilet or plug leaks . But even a It' s critically important for the " When you look at the shell you tiny leak hissing air into the United States to have access to low go , Wow , that looks just like the vacuumof space is a threat , and Earth orbit with humans so they same old space station: But after astronautsspent weeks recently can live and work and do science that , pretty much everything will searching for one in the Russian and discovery in the microgravity be dramatically different said of the station before segment of space Bridenstine said in an Mike Suffredini , Axiom' s " " patching it . It was tiny: Think of interview . That should be a presidentand CEO. the size of two grains of salt is nationalpriority . There is a reality The station has some " space key what had find Montalbano we to , that we all have to accept , which is components on the outside , said. at some point in the future we meaning astronauts have to The recent Senate vote gave a have to focus on what comes after performrisky spacewalks to , say, " significant boost toward the ISS. swap out batteries . On the Axiom the station not as of Some have been critical of the extending , though station , those would all be inside. the do " yet money required to so. frump administration for not It would also have the largest Many in the space industry think doingmore to prevent a gap . While window observatory ever " the extension would be supported the White House has been focused constructedfor space , and an by the Biden administration and on returning astronauts to the interiordesigned by French architect the House , where a bill that would the future of the moon , space Philippe Starck. extend it to 2028 has been stationhas received relatively little The company has a contract s introduced. It' unclear though , attention ,said Jeffrey Manber , the with NASA to attach at least one whether Russia would want to CEO of NanoRacks , which is privately developed module to the continue , and getting the station' s seekingto build small space stations. station by 2024 , which " space other partners on board would What troubles me is this could potentially allow crew take time. administrationis walking out the capacityon the station to grow. After the Commerce door having done very little to Suffredini , who previously Department " targeted Russian firms prevent a space station gap , he served as the space station because of ties with the country' s said. programmanager for NASA , said he military the head of the Russian After the space shuttle , NASA is not concerned about a gap. space agency lashed out and said decided it did not need to own and Rather , he said , he' s more the move would threaten operate its own rockets and concernedabout ensuring a relationsbetween the United States spacecraftbut could instead rely on the transitionfrom a government station to " and Russia in space: These private sector to ferry its a commercial one that gives his sanctionsare harmful , because they astronautsto space . In 2014, NASA potential customers confidence. will create additional obstacles " awarded contracts to SpaceX and I' m more concerned that we and irritations in such an Boeing to develop spacecraft to fly drive ourselves to keep ISS on " importantcooperation between astronauts . It took six years for orbit too lone he said . The Russiansand Americans in space , in SpaceX to have its first flight with negativeimpact is investors start to " particular , on the ISS , Dmitry humans . Boeing has yet to fly its worry about is ISS ever going to Rogozin wrote on Twitter. first crewed mission. leaver cialization of and the for " Sierra Nevada Corp . also is space posted ajob opening an out there Habitat " working to build a commercial potential for everything from Orbital Formulation Lead . ( station . But instead of a station manufacturing to tourism to Bezosowns The Washington Post .) laboratories to " To Blue svision with metal structures , it would be research develop Origin' made of a Kevlar-like material observatories." of millions of people living and that would inflate , making it NanoRacks is also interested in working in space, humanity will commercial stations. for them to live and easierto get more space station developing require places volumeinto orbit with fewer rocket But instead of launching them work: space destination systems launches. from Earth , the company wants to in which value-creating economic take discarded rocket that activity can occur ," the posting The company says it could get stages are in orbit and transform read . The station in low its first modules into space within already space them into stations for Earth orbit would five or six years and is confident designed (LEO) go that there will be demand research. beyondthe International Space enough " to make it feasible We need to make the Stationto support "a robust LEO financially. " " investmentnow to understand how we economy" and be fundamentally We' re looking forward at the can free different from the ' projected market out there , and it develop cost-efficient exploration' " fliersand , as , to habitats for small just looks incredibly bright , said just important designed , continueto the market for professionaltrained crews in Janet Kavandi , a former astronaut grow deep customersManber said. space." who serves as the company' s Blue Jeff Bezos' seniorvice president for space Origin , s space christian davenport@washpost com " is also interested in systems. There' s so much interest in company , habitats and space right now , in the commer building , recently

Tous droits de reproduction réservés