Final NASA Seats on Soyuz in 2020

Reason for SpaceX Crew Dragon and Boeing CST-100

NASA has been dependent on Russia for transport to and from the ISS. Over time the cost of seats on the Soyuz crew vehicle has risen.

The 2003 Columbia accident resulted from the loss of insulating foam from the External Tank, which hit the Orbiter’s left wing during launch and created a hole in the protective tiles required for safe reentry. When The Space Shuttle Columbia entered the Earth’s atmosphere, the left-wing leading-edge thermal protection was compromised and unable to prevent heating due to the hole from the foam. The shuttle ultimately lost control and the crew killed and shuttle destroyed.

All flights were put on hold for more than 2 years as NASA implemented numerous safety improvements, like redesigning the External Tank with an improved bipod fitting that minimized potential foam debris from the tank. Additional other improvements included Solid Rocket Booster Bolt Catcher, the newly added impact sensors on the wing’s leading edge, and additional tools to inspect the vehicle for any possible damage while in orbit. Knowing the limitations of the Space Shuttle and the ultimate completion of the ISS, NASA started to think about how to best move forward since the Space Shuttle was nearing 30 years old.

NASA has purchased, flown or plan to fly 71 astronauts since 2006. Two additional Soyuz flights are planned for 2020, each with one USOS crew-member aboard. (USOS is United States On-Orbit Segment of the ISS and is operated by NASA and its international partners — the Canadian Space Agency, European Space Agency, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.)

The total cost to NASA for the transport to and from the ISS and emergency escape services total roughly $3.9 billion. On average the cost per seat has been $55 million for missions from 2006 through 2020. The costs have been rising steady. Original seats purchased for less than $30 million each. The price increased up to about $55 million per seat by 2013. Most Recently, seats are costing 86 million dollars. For comparison Boeing has quoted $90 million and SpaceX has quoted $55 for ongoing crew transportation through 2024.[These per seat numbers do not include upfront development costs]

In order to operate the ISS and conduct research, NASA and its partners have generally maintained a rotating crew of three to four astronauts on the USOS side. Fewer astronauts translate into a higher percentage of operations and upkeep time spent as there is still the same amount of work to be done. This translates into less time available to conduct experiments and science. For example, two astronauts are required to conduct spacewalks. If one astronaut only was available on the ISS, spacewalks could not be conducted. Since Roscosmos has generally maintained two to three cosmonauts in the Russian segment, NASA has engaged in cross-training in the event that the USOS crew is reduced to one resulting from continuing delays on the commercial crew program.

Since November 2000, at least one Soyuz has always been at the International Space Station, generally to serve as a lifeboat should the crew have to return to Earth unexpectedly. The retirement of the US Space Shuttle in 2011 left the Soyuz TMA as the sole means of transportation for crew members going to or returning from the orbiting laboratory.

No more than three crew members are able to launch and return to Earth from the station aboard a Soyuz TMA spacecraft. Upon return to Earth, the vehicle lands on the flat steppe of Kazakhstan in Central Asia.

The return to Earth aboard a Soyuz takes less than 3.5 hours.

Length: 22.9 feet

Diameter: 8.9 feet

Mass Descent module: 6,393 pounds

Orbital module: 2,866 pounds

Propulsion module: 5,732 pounds

Solar array span: 34.8 feet

Volume Descent module: 141.3 ft3

Orbital module: 229.5 ft3

Descent g-loads: 4–5 times the force of gravity

Landing speed: 6.6 feet per second

Related posts:

Folks with bronchial asthma could also be at larger threat of getting very sick from COVID-19. COVID-19 can have an effect on your respiratory tract (nostril, throat, lungs), trigger an bronchial…

My wife grew up in the countryside, where just popping out to the shops isn’t that convenient. As a result, she likes to have a modest inventory of items in the house. It’s useful in the event of…

There is a kind of magic that happens when we do things for the first time. When we come up with something that we want to do for the first time, often it is in a moment of excitement. That…