NASA to Sever Most ties with Russia

[Мастер]

http://www.universetoday.com/110945/nas ... hes-again/

I think I would have to characterise this as not negotiating from a position of strength.

[Enzo]

We categorically refuse to work with you on th space station any longer...



Um... by the way, could you give our astronauts a ride home?

[tubeswell]

I guess any Astronuts on the Space Station who can't get a free ride home could always do a high altitude parachute drop

[Мастер]

Um... by the way, could you give our astronauts a ride home?

They can use a trampoline.

http://www.universetoday.com/111594/u-s ... -official/

[Arneb]

I guess any Astronuts on the Space Station who can't get a free ride home could always do a high altitude parachute drop

If they find a way to dissipate the kinetic energy of slamming along at 9 km/s without burning to a crisp... yeah, sure.

[Мастер]

I guess any Astronuts on the Space Station who can't get a free ride home could always do a high altitude parachute drop

If they find a way to dissipate the kinetic energy of slamming along at 9 km/s without burning to a crisp... yeah, sure.

Maybe the Russians will use the American astronauts as heat shields.

[Heid the Ba]

Taikonaut Taxi? Ask the Chinese to go for them.

[Lianachan]

Can't they just order a pizza delivery, and bum a lift when the guy arrives with it?

[Мастер]

Taikonaut Taxi? Ask the Chinese to go for them.

I don't think the Chinese have the ability yet. Although maybe they're close.

[Heid the Ba]

How hard can it be once you're up there?

[Мастер]

How hard can it be once you're up there?

IIRC, the ISS is in a highly inclined and relatively low orbit, so it shouldn't be hard to reach. I guess the main challenge would be the technical ability to rendezvous, and I think the Chinese have done that now, haven't they?

So maybe they do have the ability.

[Мастер]

This article says China is banned from the ISS.

http://www.economist.com/news/science-a ... at-exactly

So, if the United States had the choice of having their astronauts starve to death in orbit, or hitch a ride on a Chinese craft, which would they choose?

[Arneb]

How hard can it be once you're up there?

IIRC, the ISS is in a highly inclined and relatively low orbit, so it shouldn't be hard to reach. I guess the main challenge would be the technical ability to rendezvous, and I think the Chinese have done that now, haven't they?

So maybe they do have the ability.

They have done rendezwous. Your memory of high inclination is correct, too (51°). If you watch it on the right time in Potsdam (at 52 °) , it shoots straight from West to East, almost hitting the zenith.

however, the ISS is very hard to reach, its low orbit doesn't matter at ll. Reachin ANY orbit requires 8.9 km/s of delta v, and that is the reason why every spacecraft arrives in orbit with empty fuel tanks. It's calle dthe "tyranny of the rocket equation" or, more poetically by Kim Stanley robetson, "the hard part is leaving Earth behind". OTOH, once you've reached orbit, you are "halfway to anywhere in the Solar system" as (IIRC) Pauls Spudis put it. That, btw, is also the reason why Spudis argues for a permanent habitation of the Moon, now we've found water there: Because the delta v for escape from the Moon is only 2 km/s, and you start with 1/6 th of what anything would weigh on the Earth.