Translated material
Piloted ISS program: Are the changes coming?
On August 11, 2016, Izvestia newspaper, the words of Sergey Krileyov, executive director for manned programs of the Roscosmos State Corporation, about the intention to reduce the number of Russian astronauts in the crew of the International Space Station, were published [1]. The article did not disclose the details whether one astronaut will be replaced by an astronaut of partners' countries, or about 70 kg of cargo will be delivered to the station instead, since these issues are in agreement.
The intention to reduce the crew Sergei Konstantinovich due to the fact that Roscosmos reduced the number of progress cargo ships sent to the ISS (from four to three a year. - A. Kh. ), As well as the desire to “increase the efficiency of the program”.
Such news lies very well in the general information background, for example, a recent message about a possible sharp reduction in scientists and budget students in Russia [2]. It is likely that this is due to the notification of Roscosmos by the Ministry of Finance on the planned reduction in financing of the main programs of Russia in 2017-2019 [3].
To date, the ISS crew consists of six people: three Russians and three representatives of partner countries (USA, European Union, Canada, Japan). Astronauts and astronauts are delivered to the station on the Soyuz manned ships. Always the ship commander is a Russian astronaut, so the crews of the Union are formed in two versions: astronaut and two astronauts; And two astronauts, one astronaut.
Estimatedly, since 2019, two American ships should enter the standard operation for the delivery of crews to the ISS: Dragon V2 and CST-100 Starliner (the crew of the American segment will be increased to four people), then the number of Russian Ships will decrease from four to two a year, and three people will remain in the crew of the Russian segment or it will be reduced to two. In the second case, new opportunities for space tourism will open: with two astronauts on the ship, a commercial participant will be able to fly by about 10 days, after which he will return to Earth with a replaced crew.
Difficulty arises with an assessment of the effectiveness of a manned program. If the crew consists of two people and private traders or professional cosmonauts of third countries will fly on the Union, then the Roscosmos will, firstly, will save saving from the lack of a third crew member, and secondly, a profit from a short flight of tourists. The option is possible when the astronaut of the third country will fly to the Russian segment for six months. But if the crew consists of three Russian astronauts, then in the case of the planned commissioning of new Russian modules (the multifunctional laboratory module “Science” (2018) and the scientific and energy module (2019)) will increase the scientific return on the operation of our station segment.
From the words of Sergei Konstantinovich it follows that Roscosmos plans to reduce the Russian crew to two people already in 2017, which will undoubtedly require the consent of the partners. The ISS crews were pre-formed until 2019, the new decision will cross out one Russian astronaut from each second crew of the Soyuz and require additional preparation as a barrel-1 ship of the American astronaut, who had to be in the right lodge of the ship and did not participate in the administration.
There is another side of the issue that no official source will recall - the fate of the astronauts. A decrease in the number of Russian astronauts on board the crew station will require the disbandment of existing crews [4], and this will hit primarily for young astronauts, for whom this flight would be the first. The situation was a similar situation in 2003, when, upon returning to the Earth, the shuttle of Colombia and the ISS crew for two years was reduced from three to two people. Many astronauts and astronauts were deleted from the crews. Now such a fate can wait for young Russian astronauts. Now the expectation of the first flight lasts about seven years. In this case, the term may increase to 10 years.
Cosmonauts of the last set of 2012 will be in a difficult situation [5]. The service life of the ISS is calculated until 2024; If there are two people on the Russian segment, then there is a chance that they simply will not have time to fly there. The question arises of the appropriateness of the next set of candidates for astronauts in 2017; But in case of cancellation, the Center for the training of astronauts named after Yu.A. Gagarina may lose experienced teachers who conduct general space training - if there are no new astronauts and there will no longer be the need to teach foreign astronauts for flights on the “unions”.
In general, the manned cosmonautics is a large and complex mechanism that includes extensive cooperation of enterprises and research institutes throughout the country, has many directions. A retreat can lead to a situation that has developed with Russian automatic interplanetary stations [6].
Perhaps the leadership of the Roscosmos state corporation should not rush in making such reckless decisions. One option may be to strengthen international cooperation at the station itself. In different periods, Russian astronauts were attracted to work on the American segment, where there are a lot of equipment and scientific experiments.
For example, now the American educational experiment Earthkam on automatic photography from the Earth's ISS on the request of schoolchildren has been transferred to the Russian segment, installing the Zvezda module on the porthole No. 3. A number of joint American-Russian experiments are carried out, for example, “moving fluids”, “studying the mechanisms of regulating the distribution of liquid media in the body and their influence on changes in intracranial pressure and the function of the visual analyzer in the conditions of a long space flight and the effects of negative pressure on the lower body”.
A lot of joint experiments were during the 11-month flight of Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko. Recently it became known that in 2017, a joint American-Russian biological experiment on mice can be put on the ISS. It will be held by a Russian astronaut on American scientific equipment [7]. More about experiments on board the ISS can be learned from the journal "Cosmonautics News", which turned 25 in August [8].
The manned astronautics has always been pride in our fellow citizens. Unfortunately, the closeness of the industry can lead to irreparable consequences. I would like to hope that this will not happen.
1. Http://izvestia.ru/news/626548
2. Evgeny Onishchenko. Salvation of the drowning-the work of the hands ... // TRV-hunger, No. 210 of August 9, 2016.
3. Tdaily.ru/news/top-novosti/39360
4. Astronaut.ru/register/shedule.htm
5. Astronaut.ru/as_rusia/2012/text/glav.htm
6. Galimov E. M. Points and miscalculations. Fundamental space research in Russia of the last twenty years. Twenty years of barren efforts. M.: Unitanese URSS, 2010.