As we reported earlier, Russia announced that it plans to pull out
of the international space station after the year 2024 when the current
agreement is set to expire. This has raised concerns over what it
could mean for the future of the station. And for NASA, of course,
our science correspondent Miles O'Brien is here to answer our questions.
So Hello, Miles. Do we think the Russians are serious about this?
It's hard to say Judy. There's been an awful lot of bluster coming
out of the Russian space program since the invasion of Ukraine. Lots
of trash talk frankly, against NASA and the international space Station,
this time a new director of the Russian space agency in with Vladimir
Putin himself, saying that Russia had decided to leave the space
station partnership.
After 2024
that had a little more definitive feel to it. But it's worth pointing
out that the contract for the entire space station does expire in
2024. NASA would like to keep it flying until 2030. So there might
be a hint of reality and all of this, because that's when the contract
expires so miles. If this happens if it's real, how would it technically
take place? Would they simply disengage from the space station or
what?
Yeah, it's not so simple. It's an extremely complex, intertwined
connection. It's not like loosening up four bolts and off go the
Russians. It would take several space walks. A lot of the modules
are very old, some of the oldest parts of the international space
station and one of them. Incidentally, Judy, the oldest was actually
purchased by the U. S. So it's actually US property. Further complicating
things, I suppose they could.
Close the hatch and remove all the air from there. But the bottom
line is it's unclear at this point,
so if they are no longer present and part of the space station, what
does that mean for what's left of of this, uh of the station.
Well, there's technological interdependence, and the Russian side
provides proposed it. It's what lost the space station and keeps
it from falling down. Even though it's 250 miles above us in space.
There's a little bit of wisp of an atmosphere there that actually
puts a little drag on it, and you need to boost it up every now and
then. So they provided that with their freighters and with their
space tug, which is aboard their that their side of the modules so
and the U. S, meanwhile, has produces all the electrical powers.
That would limit the ability of the Russians.
To operate their modules on their own, so they're very intertwined.
And if, but if the Russians were no longer taking part in this what
would they all? What could the alternative be? What else could the
the us what else could be used?
Well, Space X and north of Graham, in which he have craft, which
fly to the international space station are looking at ways to turn
a dragon or a Cygnus spacecraft into sort of a tanker with a little
bit of extra fuel to provide all that propulsion. I was just talking
about there. There's time to develop this because we're talking about
after 2024 After all, so I'm pretty confident they'll come up with
a way.
And miles. What about the Russians? And they? Where would this leave
their space program if they left if the space station
Well, it's interesting. They really have no place to go there talking
about building yet another space station, they say they have a piece
that they're building on the ground. But the funding has been very
limited. A lot of people say, Well, maybe the partner with the Chinese,
But the thing about the Chinese is there. Space station is in an
orbital inclination or lane, which the Russians cannot physically
get to from where they launch from a little bit of orbital mechanics
there, But suffice to say they can't reach the
Chinese Space station, and besides, the Chinese have shown no interest
in partnering with anybody. They I think are enjoying proving they
are a space power on their own.
So in the meantime, though, miles as we wait for 2024 are there.
What about the relationship between Americans and the Russians? Is
there tension there? And are they already safety issues?
You know, it's interesting because at the bench level, so to speak,
you know that that cosmonauts the astronauts, the engineers, it's
pretty much been businesses usual. Judy as a matter of fact, US astronaut
onboard the space station when told about this latest announcement
said, You know, we're just doing what we do here every day. And,
you know, to my way of thinking. That's the greatest accomplishment
of this space station that it brought These former, you know, Cold
war adversaries in space together.
To build this audacious space station, and now it just seems to be
crumbling. And there are a lot of people inside NASA who are quite
saddened by all this, you know we we can we can only imagine. After
all the effort that's gone into this.
Miles. O Brien. Very good to have you with us. Thank you. You're