Isn't now the time to start planning the next LEO station? Has NASA and the other international partners talked about this? Obviously there is at least one major private station plan out there, but will it ever get off the ground? IMO, ultimately for humans to have any real permanent presence in space we need to have at least one LEO station out there, whether or not we have a base on the moon, or at the Lagrange point, etc. It would seem prudent that by this point somebody somewhere at NASA would have a big thick book or CD/DVD of "Lessons Learned From ISS Construction and Development" building some kind of data set of how to plan, launch and build the next station faster, better, cheaper than the current one. If there is info on this on L2 I apologize for going OT.
Quote from: Space Pete on 08/22/2012 03:48 pmThis seems a good place and time to mention this:According to documentation I've seen, the final ISS crew will be Expedition 65, which will end in November 2020, following which ISS will be de-orbited (under current plans).Half of 65 is 32.5 - so, in other words, when we reach halfway through Expedition 32, we will be halfway through all planned ISS Expeditions.We reached halfway through Expedition 32 roughly two weeks ago.The plan now is to see if it could be extended beyond 2020 with recertification and replacement of aging venerable parts, possibly to 2028. They better speed up the process so that agencies and the private sector could start planning utilization knowing the station will still be there.
This seems a good place and time to mention this:According to documentation I've seen, the final ISS crew will be Expedition 65, which will end in November 2020, following which ISS will be de-orbited (under current plans).Half of 65 is 32.5 - so, in other words, when we reach halfway through Expedition 32, we will be halfway through all planned ISS Expeditions.We reached halfway through Expedition 32 roughly two weeks ago.
Quote from: PeterAlt on 08/23/2012 03:39 amQuote from: Space Pete on 08/22/2012 03:48 pmThis seems a good place and time to mention this:According to documentation I've seen, the final ISS crew will be Expedition 65, which will end in November 2020, following which ISS will be de-orbited (under current plans).Half of 65 is 32.5 - so, in other words, when we reach halfway through Expedition 32, we will be halfway through all planned ISS Expeditions.We reached halfway through Expedition 32 roughly two weeks ago.The plan now is to see if it could be extended beyond 2020 with recertification and replacement of aging venerable parts, possibly to 2028. They better speed up the process so that agencies and the private sector could start planning utilization knowing the station will still be there.The problem is that the 2 parts that have been on-orbit the longest, the FGB and Node 1, can't be replaced. They were launched in 1998, with a design lifetime of 15 years. Keeping the ISS in orbit until 2028 extends that 15-year design lifetime to 30 years.
Keeping ISS in orbit until 2020 pushes them to 22 years in orbit. Also well beyond their design lifetime. What is your point?