TIM FURNISS / LONDON
The US National Research Council (NRC) is expressing serious reservationsabout the effective-ness of the International Space Station (ISS) as a laboratory and research outpost.
The scientific community's interest in using the ISS is waning due to NASA's lack of a science goal for the station and time required for the smaller than planned crew to operate the station rather than use it as a scientific base.
There is also concern about the removal of scientific apparatus from the planned equipment list and the reduction in the number of Space Shuttle servicing flights to the ISS.
The NRC's report, entitled Factors Affecting the Utilisation of the International Space Station for Research and Physical Sciences, says the proposed measures to prevent a 20% increase in ISS costs- about $5 billion - have made it impossible to provide a full complement of seven crew members for the station. Providing the full complement would yield a 900% increase in crew research time.
Without a solution to the crew problems and other limitations, says the NRC, "the ISS can never achieve the status of a world-class research laboratory". The council adds that the primary goal for the ISS is unclear.
Meanwhile, NASA says one of the two flight engineers in each ISS expedition crew will be renamed a science officer. The present Expedition Crew 5's Peggy Whitson was redesignated in orbit.
Whitson is the point of contact with the ISS crew for NASA-sponsored principal investigators. ISS science officers will also work with experiment developers, integrators and trainers.
Source: Flight International
