STS-300

[georgeniebling]

What is the current status of prep for STS-300 if (God forbid!) it is needed?<br /><br />Of course much of the prep is part of the *next* Shuttle mission (I forget the STS-number) but I'm curious as to STS-300 process.<br /><br />

 

[najab]

Until it's needed, there isn't much in the way of STS-300-specific preparations. The special recumbant seats are at KSC is the only thing I can think of right now.

 

[georgeniebling]

recumbant seats?

 

[syndroma]

> <i>Yes, yhe Shuttle orbiter crew will have been in zero Gee for 6 months or so.</i><br /><br />How will they make it? I thought ISS wasn't capable to support 9 persons crew for 6 months.

 

[gunsandrockets]

I saw a story on TV (don't remember which program) which claimed a very narrow launch window for a successful shuttle rescue mission. The rescue shuttle takes 35 days to prepare for launch and by rationing supplies the ISS can only sustain 9 people for 43 days.<br /><br />Sounds to me like a reason to cycle one or two extra Soyuz up to dock with the ISS to serve as rescue capsules during the remainder of Shuttle fleet operations.

 

[mrmorris]

<font color="yellow">"I thought ISS wasn't capable to support 9 persons crew for 6 months. "</font><br /><br />It can't. Only the ISS crew could possibly have been in space that long (at <b>maximum</b>). Since they wouldn't be the ones flying down on a rescue mission -- their needs aren't particularly germaine. Even if their G-tolerance were an important factor, they are expected to return to Earth on the Soyuz after six months... which pulls higher G's on re-entry and landing than the shuttle orbiters do. <br /><br />Still -- recumbants can only help.

 

[georgeniebling]

so have the recumbant seats been used on previous ISS return flights? <br /><br />Are these related at all to the Apollo Rescue Vehicle seats proposed during Skylab?

 

[mrmorris]

<font color="yellow">"Only the ISS crew could possibly have been in space that long (at maximum). "</font><br /><br />BTW -- looking at this after the fact -- I figured I'd best expand on that before somebody posts a clarification... <br /><br />By 'maximum', I mean that's the length of the standard ISS rotation, not that it's impossible for an astronaut or cosmonaut to stay up there more than six months... <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />