Return to Reality: Why a Space Shuttle Program Is Vital to the Survival of the International Space Station
October 26, 2011 | George W.S. Abbey
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Author(s)
George W.S. Abbey
Former Senior FellowTo access the full research paper, download the PDF on the left-hand sidebar.
For more than 10 years, space crews from the United States, Russia, and other countries have successfully lived and worked year-round in six-month shifts on the International Space Station (ISS), where they have conducted scientific research. In the coming years, that work will continue, but with a crucial safeguard missing: a space shuttle fleet that provides adequate logistic support and gives human beings a unique capability to fix the space station’s guidance system and rocket thrusters in the event of a failure.