CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - One of Russia's most experienced cosmonauts, who will take over command of the international space station this spring, said Thursday he has concerns over NASA's plans to use the orbiting outpost as an emergency shelter for a damaged shuttle.
Sergei Krikalev acknowledged that chances are "very remote" that the shuttle Discovery will sustain irreparable damage at liftoff and have to remain parked at the space station while its crew awaits rescue by a second shuttle.
Nonetheless, Krikalev said the possibility needs to be taken seriously before Discovery blasts off, as early as May, and he has repeatedly brought up the issue with space station managers.
The planned launch of Discovery will mark NASA's return to flight more than two years after the Columbia disaster, which was caused by a hole in the left wing. All seven crew members died.
Krikalev knows the international space station better than most: He was part of the first permanent crew, back in 2000 and 2001. The 46-year-old cosmonaut has spent nearly two years in orbit, over five missions dating back to 1988, making him one of the world's most experienced space travelers.
NASA has devoted the two years since the Columbia tragedy to coming up with ways to keep foam insulation from coming off the fuel tank during liftoff. But if a big piece did fall off and hit the shuttle, and the damage could not be fixed, Discovery's crew would have to remain at the space station until Atlantis could be sent to the rescue.
That would swell the station's occupancy to nine for a solid month or more: the seven shuttle astronauts and the two men who will arrive at the orbiting lab in April, Krikalev and astronaut John Phillips.
It would be difficult, Krikalev said, for the space station to accommodate seven extra people for an extended period. For one month - the amount of time NASA estimates it would take to launch a rescue shuttle - it would be doable, he said. Beyond that, he indicated it would be questionable.
"I think now people are aware of this and that's why I got assurance from station managers that everything necessary needs to be done, to be sure that this scenario would be avoided," Krikalev said at a news conference in Houston, where he is training.
"It's not only my concern, other people feel the same," he added.
If he was in charge, Krikalev said in an interview, only four people would be aboard Discovery when it takes off this spring, making it easier to accommodate extra crew members.
Krikalev said his biggest concern is having enough supplies on hand, in the event of a stranded shuttle. He also worries about how the seven shuttle astronauts would maintain good health and stay in good spirits while camped out there, since they would not be prepared for a lengthy space stint.
His crewmate, Phillips, said he respects Krikalev's judgment but noted that to do all the work that needs to be done during that first post-Columbia shuttle flight, a crew of four, five or possibly even six wouldn't be enough. That is NASA's official position as well.
"Our management knows that keeping a crew of nine on board for an extended period is not something that's easy and it's not something that should be entered into lightly," Phillips said. "So I believe that the NASA management knows exactly what the risks are and they're going to look out for us."
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