NASA wants to continue launching shuttles until 2015

The agency is afraid of depending on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to bring astronauts to the station for several years due to the worsening of relations with Russia following the war in Georgia

An internal NASA email indicates preparations for testing the possibility of extending the operational life of the space shuttles to cover the five-year gap between the shuttles' retirement and the start of manned flights within the Constellation program.

In what appears to be a U-turn in the space agency's policy, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin has ordered a programming review to determine whether the aging shuttle fleet, first launched in 1981, will be able to operate through 2015. The news comes at a time of concern for the agency over its reliance on the Soyuz system after 2010, especially In light of the cooling of relations between the USA and Russia following the war in Georgia.

This is particularly surprising news because Griffin commented that extending the shuttle operation could put astronauts at risk and financially harm the development of the Constellation program. However, in recent weeks, pressure has been put on NASA to find an alternative to depending on Russia to reach the space station in the five years before the Constellation launch in 2015. The Russian military action in the South Ossetia region in Russia helped to increase the political tension, and it is possible that this is the reason for the initiation of the feasibility study. The two candidates for the US presidency, Barack Obama and John McCain, are pushing to find a solution to the problem of the five-year gap.

NASA officials have confirmed the existence of the email, but say that one must wait and wait for the results of the test. The email was sent Wednesday by John Cogshall, manager of the launch list and schedule at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. "We want to focus on bridging the gap where American spacecraft can take off to the International Space Station, as efficiently as possible." However, NASA spokesman John Yambrick told news agency reporters that even though the email was sent, it is still preliminary and the parameters of the test have not yet been defined.

Until now, Griffin has strongly opposed the extension of the shuttle program, mainly for economic reasons, the efforts and funds are needed to advance the Constellation program. However, it seems that recent events may force him to reconsider.

For the news in Universe Today

On the same topic on the science website:

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• NASA has released the launch dates of the last ten shuttle missions
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