They could offer to sell seats on their LV. In the unlikely scenario that crewed commercial experiences delays and there's another hold on Soyuz launches (or if the current hold continues into an uncomfortable timeframe), China offers use of their LV - as a gesture of international cooperation and good will - for keeping ISS manned and avoiding possible de-manning it. Such a gesture of "good will" would be a sneaky attempt in their part to force space cooperation.
Here are some foreseeable hurdles to such a diabolical scheme:
1. The law (US) does not allow Chinese (space) cooperation. If there's an emergency that requires Chinese cooperation, would such an emergency allow an exception to the law? Or would Congress have to grant NASA special exception and pass a bill containing language for such?
2. Could the Chinese even have their LV ready for launch on time? If no, if a Chinese LV had already been prepared for a previously planned Chinese mission and launch was imminent any way, could that LV be repurposed quickly for such an international emergency mission?
Mission planning at this level takes years.
If you knew 2 to 3 years ago that this would happen you might have a contingency.
Even then (if you are prepared logistically) you can not avoid the law.
Science fiction...but good science fiction none the less.
Von Braun had a quote (somewhat off topic)....
"we can lick gravity...but the paperwork is overwhelming."
...China decided to take advantage of the Soyuz downtime. They could offer to sell seats on their LV. In the unlikely scenario that crewed commercial experiences delays and there's another hold on Soyuz launches (or if the current hold continues into an uncomfortable timeframe), China offers use of their LV - as a gesture of international cooperation and good will - for keeping ISS manned and avoiding possible de-manning it. Such a gesture of "good will" would be a sneaky attempt in their part to force space cooperation.
Here are some foreseeable hurdles to such a diabolical scheme:
1. The law (US) does not allow Chinese (space) cooperation. If there's an emergency that requires Chinese cooperation, would such an emergency allow an exception to the law? Or would Congress have to grant NASA special exception and pass a bill containing language for such?
2. Could the Chinese even have their LV ready for launch on time? If no, if a Chinese LV had already been prepared for a previously planned Chinese mission and launch was imminent any way, could that LV be repurposed quickly for such an international emergency mission?
I've heard mixed reports about whether or not Shenzhou would even be able to dock to the ISS, Shenzhou's orbital life is probably not long enough to make a difference and who knows if it would meet the ISS partners' safety standards.
...China decided to take advantage of the Soyuz downtime. They could offer to sell seats on their LV. In the unlikely scenario that crewed commercial experiences delays and there's another hold on Soyuz launches (or if the current hold continues into an uncomfortable timeframe),
Non plausible and inane idea. The Chinese have yet to rendezvous and dock with anything. Also, they don't have the same docking systems.
The Chinese are not even close to being there yet. However, I hope to see them docking a spacecraft with the ISS sometime before it falls into the ocean. Peace and love for all mankind!
...China decided to take advantage of the Soyuz downtime. They could offer to sell seats on their LV.
This is absurd. Assuming for a moment the ISS partners welcomed China to ISS with open arms, it would take years of engineering to make it actually happen. Just translating the documentation so the relevant engineering teams on each side could work together would be a very large undertaking...
What if the USA is forced to go ISS "alone" after 2015?
It could happen.
Only see Japan putting in some cash.
ESA atm no more ATV's
Russia has talked several times about getting out of HSF.
What if the USA is forced to go ISS "alone" after 2015?
It could happen.
No, it couldn't. The partners have all agreed to support ISS though at least 2020. If that decision were reversed, that would end the program, and ISS would be de-orbited. Both the US and Russian segments are critical, and can only be operated by their respective agencies. There is no "going it alone".