A complicated set of challenges with its commercial crew program may require NASA to buy more rides from Russia to keep American astronauts on the International Space Station after 2018, NASA auditors said Monday.
Part of the problem is challenges Boeing and SpaceX found in designing their crew capsules, according to a report by the NASA Office of Inspector General. The other part is the result of NASA delays in reviewing changes they've made in their spacecraft.
"While past funding shortfalls contributed to the delay, technical challenges with the contractors' spacecraft designs are now driving schedule slippages," the inspector general said. "For Boeing, these include issues related to the effects of vibrations from intense sound waves generated during launch and challenges regarding vehicle mass. For SpaceX, delays resulted from a change in capsule design to enable a water-based rather than ground-based landing and related concerns that the capsule would take on excessive water."
Boeing's earlier design for its Starliner space capsule was too heavy for the United Launch Atlas V rocket scheduled to lift it into space, but Boeing says changes have brought it under the limit.
The SpaceX launch site at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. (SpaceX)
NASA itself factors in the delays because it must review the safety of both capsules to make sure they meet requirements for carrying astronauts - so-called "human rating" them. As part of this vehicle certificatation process, both Boeing and SpaceX test their capsules and report the results and any proposed changes to NASA.
"We found significant delays in NASA's evaluation and approval of these hazard reports and related requests for variances from NASA requirements that increase the risk that costly redesign work may be required late in development, further delaying vehicle certification," the Inspector General's report said.
NASA has already extended its reliance on Russian rides to the station through 2018 at a cost of $490 million for six seats. It also has an agreement with Boeing to buy seats the company had contracted with Russia. "If the Commercial Crew Program experiences additional delays," the Inspector General's report said, "NASA may need to buy additional seats from Russia to ensure a continued U.S. presence on the ISS."
NASA's response to the report was that both Boeing and SpaceX are having technical challenges "that are not uncommon in the human spaceflight and launch industries nationwide." NASA is in "close coordination" with them, Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot said, and has been working with Russia "and other domestic industry partners to insure that the U.S. has uninterrupted access to the ISS...."
Read Again NASA may need more Russian rides to keep Americans on space station : http://ift.tt/2yc7yFJBagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "NASA may need more Russian rides to keep Americans on space station"
Post a Comment