Author
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Topic: Assessing Space Station's structural lifetime
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music_space Member Posts: 1179 From: Canada Registered: Jul 2001
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posted 09-13-2010 04:11 PM
From Spaceflightnow: Engineers assess space station's structural integrity.Announced by the White House in February, the proposed continuation of ISS operations was met with widespread praise. All of the project's international partners are in favor of the extension.The decision sparked a one-of-a-kind engineering effort to certify the space station to operate until 2028, the 30th anniversary of the launch of the first element of the complex. "That's 30 years after we launched the first piece," said Kirk Shireman, NASA's deputy space station program manager. "Some of our experts said that's about as much as we think we'll get. So far, we haven't seen any show-stoppers." |
music_space Member Posts: 1179 From: Canada Registered: Jul 2001
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posted 09-13-2010 04:12 PM
One failure mode engineers are studying is the development and spread of microscopic fatigue fractures in the station's metal skeleton."It's called fracture mechanics, and we actually inspect the structure as it's being built," Shireman said. "The inspection method says I can find a crack down to some minimal length, and if the crack is smaller than this minimum length, then I won't be able to detect it." Station officials can't rely on crew members to inspect for fractures in space. Couldn't instruments be sent up to make such measurements through EVA or robotics operations? |
Fezman92 Member Posts: 1031 From: New Jersey, USA Registered: Mar 2010
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posted 09-13-2010 09:43 PM
Get EVAs out there and arm them with lots of duct tape. |
Tykeanaut Member Posts: 2212 From: Worcestershire, England, UK. Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 10-14-2010 10:49 AM
Do you think another space station will be built after the ISS, or will there be another 24 year gap as there was after Skylab? |
Jay Chladek Member Posts: 2272 From: Bellevue, NE, USA Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 10-14-2010 11:16 AM
If you mean a station built mostly by NASA and a western consortium, I don't know if that will happen for some time. A private station made of smaller modules I can see.However, the behaviour of the ISS over long term would have bearing on the design and constuction of a large manned craft to explore Mars or the rest of the solar system. Except for the phases of thrust to escape or enter planetary gravity wells, such craft would essentially be large space stations for most of their missions. |
Tykeanaut Member Posts: 2212 From: Worcestershire, England, UK. Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 10-15-2010 07:23 AM
I only ask this question because like many I am concerned about the future of U.S. manned spaceflight. With no immediate plans to go to the moon or Mars, I wonder if there will even be a US space station in orbit or will that chapter of history also be abandoned? |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 10-15-2010 07:46 AM
Though the authorization act passed this year only extends U.S. involvement in the ISS to 2020, it is expected that another extension will be approved to 2028 (hence the need to study the station's structural lifetime). That places the station's expected decommission within the same timeframe as U.S. crewed missions beyond low Earth orbit are targeted to begin. In the meantime, at least two U.S.-based companies are planning commercial space stations, as is a Russian company with strong ties to a third U.S. company. |