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Main Forums => Politics => Topic started by: AZRedhawk44 on April 02, 2022, 11:52:00 AM

Title: Russia has pulled out of ISS operations/maintenance
Post by: AZRedhawk44 on April 02, 2022, 11:52:00 AM
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10678705/Russia-END-cooperation-International-space-station.html

This is really sad.

I was hoping that Roskosmos and NASA (and ESA/JAXA and others) could continue to keep this thing operating in spite of the tensions between NATO and Russia.

Then again, with the aerospace and technology sanctions in place against Russia, they likely cannot operate many Soyuz rocket launches and are rationing them for intelligence assets rather than ISS missions.

Very fortunate that Northrop-Grumman's Cygnus cargo craft has recently been certified to provide orbital boost operations for the station, and SpaceX is currently researching modifications to the Dragon capsule's Draco thrusters to enable them to perform the function as well when docked on station.  Still, the ISS is not "two halves."  There are redundancies between Russian and American sections, there are parts that work a lot better on one half than the other, and the station is effectively doomed if the Russian and American sections are separated.

And given Russia's recent SNAFUs with docking capsules and modules to the ISS, perhaps it'll stay in the sky longer without them anyways.  They've thrown the station into a wild tumble twice in the last year or so, and impacted it pretty hard when maneuvering thrusters failed to shut down properly.  Then again, Boeing is about to put its Starliner capsule back in the sky this year for a second qualification test, and the first time they screwed up their thruster software (and mission clock), so maybe the ISS should just have protective bumpers installed instead.
Title: Re: Russia has pulled out of ISS operations/maintenance
Post by: K Frame on April 02, 2022, 12:36:39 PM
I'd be find with the ISS crashing back to earth...

right into the middle of Moscow.
Title: Re: Russia has pulled out of ISS operations/maintenance
Post by: RocketMan on April 02, 2022, 12:52:24 PM
Quote from: K Frame on April 02, 2022, 12:36:39 PM
I'd be find with the ISS crashing back to earth...

right into the middle of Moscow.

DC would be a good target of opportunity if it misses Moscow.
Title: Re: Russia has pulled out of ISS operations/maintenance
Post by: K Frame on April 02, 2022, 02:51:38 PM
Peking

Or Pyongyang.
Title: Re: Russia has pulled out of ISS operations/maintenance
Post by: WLJ on April 02, 2022, 02:59:33 PM
The ISS is made up of modules aka MIRVs  >:D
Title: Re: Russia has pulled out of ISS operations/maintenance
Post by: Jim147 on April 02, 2022, 03:08:17 PM
Might be time for a little pirating.
Title: Re: Russia has pulled out of ISS operations/maintenance
Post by: AZRedhawk44 on April 02, 2022, 06:37:19 PM
Quote from: Jim147 on April 02, 2022, 03:08:17 PM
Might be time for a little pirating.

APS Space Frigate Rodger Young?
Title: Re: Russia has pulled out of ISS operations/maintenance
Post by: RocketMan on April 02, 2022, 08:10:41 PM
Quote from: AZRedhawk44 on April 02, 2022, 06:37:19 PM
APS Space Frigate Rodger Young?

Sounds good.
Title: Re: Russia has pulled out of ISS operations/maintenance
Post by: Big Hairy Bee on April 02, 2022, 10:04:48 PM
I was hoping for a SpaceX Serenity, complete with Kaylee and Inara.
Title: Re: Russia has pulled out of ISS operations/maintenance
Post by: MechAg94 on April 02, 2022, 11:40:26 PM
Quote from: AZRedhawk44 on April 02, 2022, 06:37:19 PM
APS Space Frigate Rodger Young?
We might need to find a guy named Cherenkov to invent a space drive first.  I also want some armor.