Re: upcoming iss events

On Fri, 13 Jul 2007 13:56:14 -0400, JF Mezei
<jfmezei.spamnot@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Jeff Findley wrote:
Won't the O2 generation (and CO2 removal, and other life support features)
be shared once the ISS crew grows to 6? I thought that the current Russian
systems, like Elektron, were sized for a crew size of three?

Lets not kid ourselves. With the USA widthdrawing from manned space
flight, it is doubtful we will see a permanent crew of 6 on the ISS
unless Russia doubles its Soyuz production.

Um, thank you for stating the obvious, J.F. In other shocking news,
unless Russia builds more engines, they won't be launching more
rockets...

Yes, Russia is planning to increase Soyuz production in 2009.

Remember that without the shuttle, the station with current Progress
resupplies could only support 2 crewmembers. Granted ATV might
eventually become real, but it is unclear how many ATVs will fly and at
what frequency.

1 per year, each with four times the capacity of Progress. Do the
arithmetic and, presto! 6-crew capability. There is also the HTV,
which Japan insists isn't dead. And who knows what will happen with
COTS... that could well make them all obsolete.

And if the currnet unit cannot fit through a russian hatch, the USA will
have to redesign its O2 generator so it could be fitted through one
should it ever need replacing.

The unit is one ISPR, but you don't need to replace the whole thing if
a circuit board gives out or a pipe leaks.

It was quite a mistake for the USA to delay turning on the O2 generator
until now. If they turned off Elektron, that electrical power should
have been available for the US unit. They really need to test and debug
that unit ASAP. Space on the few remaining Shuttle flights is limited if
they need to ship a new unit/parts.

OGS is actually only one ISPR, and the parts for it are all obviously
smaller. Not hard to put replacement parts in a mid-deck locker of any
Shuttle mission over the next three years. Hell, NASA just added a
seventh crewmember to a mission that for years was presumed to be "so
heavy, they can only take a crew of six." There's plenty of wiggle
room for the small stuff. It's the big things like CMGs that are going
to be hard to replace.

Brian
.

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