Accident Clouds U.S. Future on Mir

Abstract

SPACE STATION S upporters of the international space station are waiting to see if the gash ripped in the Mir space station last week will wreck more than just the science module that served as living quarters and laboratory for U.S. astronauts. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are pressuring NASA Administrator Dan Goldin to cancel plans for further long-term stays by astronauts on Mir until the agency certifies that the Russian station meets or exceeds U.S. safety standards. Such a step could jeopardize U.S.-Russian collaboration, including the scientific and technical experience that NASA officials say is an important element in assembling and working on the space station. The accident, in which a Russian cargo module rammed into the Spektr science module while being guided remotely by a Mir cosmonaut, has put NASA in an awkward situation. While the agency is responsible for the safety of its astronauts, the shuttle-Mir program is the cornerstone of U.S. and Russian space cooperation. It serves both as a barometer of goodwill between the two nations and as a mechanism for scientific exchange. The impact of a U.S. withdrawal, says Marcia Smith, an analyst with the Congressional Research Service, “would depend on how gracefully it's done.” ![Figure][1] Damage control. Collision between a cargo ship and the Spektr module could weaken U.S.–Russian space ties. SOURCE: NASA The immediate issue for NASA is how to react to language in its 1998 authorization bill, passed by the House of Representatives and pending in the Senate, that calls for the safety certification. The measure is the brainchild of Representative James Sensenbrenner (R–WI), who chairs the House Science Committee and has been a relentless critic of U.S. cooperation with Russia in space. Sensenbrenner's concerns have been fed by Russia's slow pace in funding its portion of the international space station—the first module of which is slated for launch in just 1 year—as well as a fire and assorted other technical problems aboard the 11-year-old Mir. “I, for one, can no longer sit idly by as mishap after mishap occur while we continue to plan the next shuttle mission to Mir hoping for, but not really expecting, the mission will succeed without a potentially life-threatening situation,” Sensenbrenner said hours after the accident. Sensenbrenner demanded that Goldin immediately launch an independent review of Mir safety and complete it before the next U.S. crew arrives at the station in September to relieve U.S. astronaut Mike Foale. Sensenbrenner told the NASA chief in a private meeting last week that he wants the agency to abide by the certification measure, even though it is not yet law. One Administration official downplayed the need for an independent review. “NASA already has experts working on this,” he says. In the meantime, “we're committed to our space partnership with Russia.” But if NASA does conclude that safety standards are not up to par on Mir and forbids U.S. astronauts to work on the station, it would end what Administration officials say is a critical effort to conduct a host of experiments—from biological to engineering to materials science—in preparation for the international station. “The experience has been difficult, but we're learning from it,” says the Administration official. The current mission is the sixth planned U.S. visit out of nine scheduled. For now, however, Foale will have little science to conduct. Much of the U.S. equipment—including a protein-crystal experiment and some biological devices—is in Spektr, which is sealed off until cosmonauts can patch the hole and repressurize the chamber. The first priority, however, is to fix the damaged power system; a space walk has been scheduled for next week to examine Spektr from the outside. It's not clear whether the equipment is still in working order after being exposed to the vacuum and cold of space. The module, which was attached to Mir in 1995, also contains Russian geophysical and remote-sensing equipment. But the larger question is whether Mir can continue to serve as an experiment for cooperation among the former superpower rivals. [1]: pending:yes