A safety panel highlighted the urgency of safely deorbiting the International Space Station (ISS) after it retires in 2030, warning of a catastrophe if the spacecraft were to make an uncontrolled reentry through Earth’s atmosphere.
NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) urged the space agency to develop a space tug to deorbit the ISS, saying that the deorbit vehicle is “not optional,” according to Space Policy Online.
“The day will inevitably come when the Station is at the end of its life—and we may not be able to dictate that day—it is inconceivable to allow the Station to deorbit in an uncontrolled manner,” ASAP Chair Patricia Sanders said during a briefing at the panel’s third quarter meeting on Thursday. The ISS is “simply too massive and would pose extreme hazard to populations over a broad area of Earth. This needs to be resourced and resourced now if we are to avert a catastrophe.”
This is the best summary I could come up with:
A safety panel highlighted the urgency of safely deorbiting the International Space Station (ISS) after it retires in 2030, warning of a catastrophe if the spacecraft were to make an uncontrolled reentry through Earth’s atmosphere.
However, NASA is anticipating budget cuts due to the fiscal responsibility act, which was signed into law in June, which could affect the plans for a deorbiting space tug.
In response, Sanders noted that NASA will have to make “difficult choices” if Congress were to cut its funding while emphasizing that the deorbit vehicle is one of the “few areas that are not discretionary,” Space Police Online reported.
In October of last year, ASAP also urged NASA to develop a deorbit plan for the ISS that can be immediately executed in case there is an emergency.
In 1979, the United States’ first space station Skylab descended towards Earth in an uncontrolled reentry that saw parts of it land on populated areas in western Australia.
Luckily, no one was injured in both incidents, but they serve as a reminder of the damage that could ensue if the space station was left to come back down to Earth on its own.
The original article contains 560 words, the summary contains 194 words. Saved 65%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
I don’t think “not optional” means what they think it means.
I guarantee you that if we do nothing at all, it will deorbit on its own thanks to friction from air molecules it passes through in orbit. Humans only occupy 14.5% of the surface of the planet, so even in an uncontrolled deorbit it seems like the odds would be against any property damage or loss of life.
An uncontrolled deorbit might be reckless. It might not be recommended. But it’s definitely an option.
an option that should not be considered = not optional
True. And when I’m driving to work I have the option to steer into oncoming traffic.
You may have missed the point they’re making here
