Obama's 2011 NASA budget includes funds for new ISS modules

[PJay_A]

I just found this line from the abstract of Obama's 2011 budget request concerning new funding for expansion of ISS:

"New capabilities could include a centrifuge to support research into human physiology, inflatable space habitats, and a program to continuously upgrade Space Station capabilities."

Are they are referring to Japan's cancelled CAM? If so, this would need a lift with Orbital's new COTS vehicle, I suppose. But the big deal here is the fact that the ISS will continue to grow well beyond "Station Complete", transforming into an ever-expanding sprawling space city.

 

[HopDavid]

I just found this line from the abstract of Obama's 2011 budget request concerning new funding for expansion of ISS:

"New capabilities could include a centrifuge to support research into human physiology, inflatable space habitats, and a program to continuously upgrade Space Station capabilities."

I'm pleased to hear they want to research spin gravity. Knowing amount of spin gravity needed to stay healthy, amount of angular velocity that can be tolerated can have a huge impact on man's future activities in space.

Inflatable habs? I wonder if they're contracting with Bigelow. That also sounds good.

Continuously upgrading capabilities? I would have to know what upgrades before I endorse that.

 

[vulture4]

Remember that the original justification for the centrifuge module back in the 80's was to carry animals into space and then subject them to gravity as _controls_ for other animals in weightlessness because it was felt the ground controls might not get the exact same stimuli like being launched into space. This was all before the program actually started reading some of the scientific literature and realized that what was needed to build muscles was resistance exercise. Wait a minute, the personal trainer down at the Healthplex knew that, how come NASA didn't....

Enough cynicism. The current resistance exercise devices are fairly reliable and astronauts who exercise now routinely do fine for as long as they care to stay aloft. What improvements are needed are in reliability and comfort of the exercise equipment, development which can be done on the ground and ultimately in the current ISS, not tests with centrifuges in space, since no one who has any real scientific experience believes centrifuges are needed as a countermeasure. The recent talk about the CAM was just injected by the current crop of rather poorly informed presidential advisors. What we really need are new modules for earth and space observation. But without the Shuttle we'll have to buy a ride for any new modules from the Russians. Wait a minute- if there's money for centrifuge work, and I could get some, I would of course change my viewpoint instantly....