ISS: Funding going away after '16?

This has been an issue at CSA for a while... 'bout a year or so. It's been an issue with other ISS partners for almost as long and still no clarification on US budget intentions... 'likely why there's so many ESA folks at CSA lately. Anyway US budget stuff within NASA is "problematic" for many partners tryin' to figure out a way forward planning-wise. I think a GAO report is coming in the next month or two (they haven't had much good to say about NASA in years)... for now here's a SpaceRef link for those with an interest outlining the concerns as seen by some: www.spaceref.com:80...

Victor K.

41'

[edit on 13-10-2006 by V Kaminski]

Nasa has a a new initialive: the moon, mars and beyond.

Russia said they will discard the ISS in 2016, to make way for there new space station...But knowing Russian budgets...they will likely be staying in the ISS until 2025.

Hi M'. Do you have any information on the Russian space station you mentioned? Uh, that new initiative you mention... ain't that a little bit of old news? I follow NASA very closely and the VSE is my primary interest of current research. Did you read the article I posted from SpaceRef? Seems they may run out of Shuttle before the Ares stuff is ready and that transition period is full of "ifs".

How would you explain to the American people that the US is no longer interested in ISS in a meaningful way? How would one explain to the international partners that their billions invested are doomed? Who wants to partner up with the USA for projects with such a lack of commitment to previously agreed upon deals?

Please cite where your info is coming from about Russia intending to discard ISS in '16 or even '25. That'd be news for me for sure, even perhaps to them.

Victor K.

41'

[edit on 14-10-2006 by V Kaminski]

Originally posted by V Kaminski
Hi M'. Do you have any information on the Russian space station you mentioned? Uh, that new initiative you mention... ain't that a little bit of old news? I follow NASA very closely and the VSE is my primary interest of current research. Did you read the article I posted from SpaceRef? Seems they may run out of Shuttle before the Ares stuff is ready and that transition period is full of "ifs".

Please cite where your info is coming from about Russia intending to discard ISS in '16 or even '25. That'd be news for me for sure, even perhaps to them.

Heres a link that says a little about there new space station plans.
Russia's new station

The site says 2015...so I might have been a year off.
But I have read another article that disscussed that Russia should stick with the ISS, since it will be allready built...and the new one would cost a lot more money...and the only one footing the bill would likely be russia only....but who knows...If they invite China in they could get more funding, something which they would likely do, and the Chinese would likely do.
Russians have been talking up there "klipper" fro years and years, and still nothing, so I dont see that concept ever coming into fruitition.

And the Nasa Initialive I was talking about is from when Bush announced it in 2004.

How would you explain to the American people that the US is no longer interested in ISS in a meaningful way? How would one explain to the international partners that their billions invested are doomed? Who wants to partner up with the USA for projects with such a lack of commitment to previously agreed upon deals?

First of all, Nobody has invested more then the US into the ISS.
Were still commited to finish it...meaning lifting up many foreign components and attaching them. We will use the shuttle until 2010...when its set to be retired. We likely wont have all the big ISS loads lifted though, so its likely that they will be lifted up using a heavy lift rocket.
As for the American people, They would like to see Nasa get out of earths orbit, and do some "real" exploration. Like set up a permanent moon base, and the technologies tested there, will help out a lot when we decide to go to Mars.

Wow. Thanx for that link. Sounds like the hand writing is on the wall. Might be best for CSA and the EU, JAXA and Brazil to throw in with the Russkies and Chinese on the Earth orbit and science stuff and leave the planting of flags to America.

Yeah, the Bush VSE... Vision for Space Exploration announced months after the CAIB. I hope that goes well for America. Pretty risky. The public could stand a little return on investment for a change. Sounds like quite an adventure. I guess that's why ESA and CSA folks are in a dither... no orbital platform for science. Maybe they'll sneak a little in for ISS, science that is. I suppose the partners will have a few years to get some of the stuff they've paid for in good faith actually done.

Any idea of how they plan to dispose of ISS? Just de-orbit it and let 'er burn MIR style? Could the Russkies cannibalize some of it for their new station? Or do you expect a clean-sheet for the Russian orbital lab and manufacturing research station? Is the deal with Russia and the US done and gone like the Iron Curtain?

I kinda liked America working with the Russians. Oh well, times change. I guess America needs to go back to the Moon... to build on the Apollo work abandoned by Nixon.

Thanx again for the info M'

Victor K.

41'

[edit on 14-10-2006 by V Kaminski]

Originally posted by V Kaminski
Any idea of how they plan to dispose of ISS? Just de-orbit it and let 'er burn MIR style? Could the Russkies cannibalize some of it for their new station? Or do you expect a clean-sheet for the Russian orbital lab and manufacturing research station? Is the deal with Russia and the US done and gone like the Iron Curtain?

I kinda liked America working with the Russians. Oh well, times change. I guess America needs to go back to the Moon... to build on the Apollo work abandoned by Nixon.

No, I highly doubt Russia would re-use anything from the ISS.
And yes...it would take a firely death into the ocean.

Nasa and the RKA will probably still have some joint teams on smaller projects like satellites.
Working with cash strapped Russia has been a challenge for Nasa...But the RKA proved there worth when the Shuttles were grounded, and their spacecraft: the Soyuz, kept on truckin.