R
rpyka
Guest
This question may have come up in the past already, but I have not seen any discussion on it:
Has anyone at NASA ever considered using one of the shuttles after the official retirement and launch it on a one-way mission to be a permanent addition to the ISS? The European Space Lab that went up a few times in the earlier years of the space shuttle program could even be updated with the latest equipment and included in this last launch. Regular missions from the Russian supply ships could include extra fuel for the shuttle APUs for powering the shuttle's systems. This would provide extra room for the residents aboard the ISS, and perhaps even be considered an extra "lifeboat" should a problem on the space station develop. I haven't a clue as to the cost of this "final" launch, but it would likely (or maybe not) be less than the design and launch of an entirely new module and rocket should the need arise.
Has anyone at NASA ever considered using one of the shuttles after the official retirement and launch it on a one-way mission to be a permanent addition to the ISS? The European Space Lab that went up a few times in the earlier years of the space shuttle program could even be updated with the latest equipment and included in this last launch. Regular missions from the Russian supply ships could include extra fuel for the shuttle APUs for powering the shuttle's systems. This would provide extra room for the residents aboard the ISS, and perhaps even be considered an extra "lifeboat" should a problem on the space station develop. I haven't a clue as to the cost of this "final" launch, but it would likely (or maybe not) be less than the design and launch of an entirely new module and rocket should the need arise.