The news has been dominated by the Russian invasion. There has been an ongoing war of words on social media. The Director-General of the Russian State Space Corporation (Roscosmos) has been issuing thinly-veiled threats that Russia might be ending its cooperation in space.
This included a video posted on Telegram by the state-controlled Russian news agency RIA Novosti that shows the Russian modules detaching from the International Space Station. NASA decided to host an FAQ session in response to all the threats and hyperbole. In what is eerily similar to what happened in 2014, NASA let the world know that the International Space Station is still going strong and won't be dismantled anytime soon.
The FAQ session tacitly acknowledges and answers statements made by Rogozin. NASA talked about the nature of the partnership, which nations are involved, how astronauts will continue to fly to the ISS if one space agency no longer provides launch services, and the plan for the station's destruction.
The European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency are member states.
They stress that it is not possible to disassemble the ISS by detaching its modules. This was a direct challenge to the video posted by RIA Novosti and the way it depicted cosmonauts leaving like it was no big deal. Says NASA.
“The space station was not designed to be disassembled, and current interdependencies between each segment of the station prevent the U.S. Orbital Segment and Russian Segment from operating independently. Attempts to detach the U.S. Orbital Segment and the Russian Segment would encounter major logistical and safety challenges given the multitude of external and internal connections, the need to control spacecraft attitude and altitude, and software interdependency.”
They give a seven-point list of how operations are interdependent. Mission control, life support, solar power, satellite communications, and data transfer between Earth and the station are included.
The issue of getting to and from the International Space Station is not currently doable.
The issue of transportation has been a sore point since the Space Shuttle retirement in 2011. The dependency became a bone of contention when Russian forces annexed the peninsula. In response to the U.S. declaring sanctions, the then-deputy Prime Minister to Dmitry Medvedev joked on his social media accounts.
After analyzing the sanctions against our space industry, I suggest to the USA to bring their astronauts to the International Space Station using a trampoline. Musk replied that it might be a good time to unveil the new Dragon spaceship that SpaceX has been working on with NASA. There is no trampoline needed.
How history repeats itself! In a situation like this, we can stop the sale of rocket engines to the U.S.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told The Associated Press that cooperation between NASA and the Russian government was not in danger. He spouts off. He said that he worked with them at the end of the day. They keep up with us, American astronauts, and American mission control.
Musk responded once again to a question. He shared a video of the launch of the Starlink satellites, followed by the words "American Broomstick" and four U.S. flags. Is this a reminder that NASA and SpaceX will use the Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon capsule in 2020?
The issue of steering and control is raised in the NASA FAQ session. This is important, as it addresses the statement made by the Russian modules about how the International Space Station would fall if they weren't steering it. They talked about what parts of Earth the station flies over.
The International Space Station has an inclination of 51.6 degrees. The farthest north and south it will ever go is 51.6 degrees latitude. The Spot The Station page is where people can find spotting opportunities, and they also offer links to the orbit tutorials page.
The NASA FAQ explains how steerage is dependent on more than just the Russian modules.
“All International Space Station propulsion is provided by the Russian Segment and Russian cargo spacecraft. Propulsion is used for station reboost, attitude control, debris avoidance maneuvers and eventual deorbit operations are handled by the Russian Segment and Progress cargo craft. The U.S. gyroscopes provide day-to-day attitude control or controlling the orientation of the station. Russian thrusters are used for attitude control during dynamic events like spacecraft dockings and provide attitude control recovery when the gyroscopes reach their control limits.”
They remind us that the program has been in continuous operation for 21 years thanks to ongoing cooperation between its international partners. The space agency partners have all recommended the International Space Station to be extended through the year 2030.
Last year, they added their Nauka module, which is committed to remaining with the program until 2024. The guidance and navigation module is the first to be added since 2016 and will provide additional attitude control capabilities. The safe deorbiting of the International Space Station is a priority for all parties, according to NASA.
The International Space Station transition plan states that the primary objective during space station deorbit operations is the safe re-entry of the space station into the ocean.
The plan was updated on January 31st, 2022. The plan calls for operations that allow for a smooth transition to commercial services, the development of the supply and demand end of a commercial economy, and the technical steps and budgets this will entail.
The space station will be used to accomplish the deorbit by using its propulsive capabilities. NASA is evaluating whether the U.S. commercial space program can be modified to deorbit the space station.
NASA acknowledges that this is not a long-term solution or a replacement for attitude control functions, and that it is currently in testing to provide limited capability for future reboosts.
Musk and other sources claim that the Crew Dragon could replace the Russians segment. They argue that Crew Dragon could provide reboost and attitude control. NASA has transitioned to commercial suppliers to meet much of its needs and this could be a solid backup option.
All of this shows that the operations aboard the ISS are interdependent. Russia can't just pack up and detach its modules, it has to have someone there to shoot some propaganda videos. NASA's FAQ page reminds us that the International Space Station has survived political turmoil before.
While Russia and the U.S. have been at odds for the past eight years, NASA and Roscomos have maintained good relations. When politicians were threatening war and sanctions, astronauts and cosmonauts were able to work together. Maybe world leaders could take a page from their book.
Further reading: NASA.
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