NASA administrator Michael Griffin confirmed at the show that the Space Shuttle will not now complete all the flights necessary to complete the International Space Station (ISS) before its retirement in 2010.
"I am confident the space station will be completed, what I do not know is how exactly that will be done," says Griffin.
"The Shuttle does not have the same capability as it did before the Columbia disaster and we must look again at our commitments."
He adds: "We cannot execute the required 28 missions by 2010. It might be unreasonable for us to do more than 20, but the final number is too 'squishy' to know at this time. Our progress over the next two shuttle missions will tell us more about how we can operate it until its retirement in 2010."
Exact
Griffin also confirmed that the shuttle's replacement, the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), would not be ready until at least 2011/2012.
"I don't know the exact date," he says, "but 2014 would be unacceptable."
He says NASA is currently looking at a number of possibilities for an interim solution. He expects to know more by the end of the summer.
Griffin, who helped cut the ribbon to officially open the US Pavilion, says he is in Europe to have familiarisation talks with NASA's partners and to discuss its commitments to the international space community.
Source: Flight Daily News
