Status and problems of space stations utilization
- Paper number
IAC-06-B4.3.05
- Author
Dr. Igor Sorokin, S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia, Russia
- Coauthor
Mr. Alexander Markov, S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia, Russia
- Year
2006
- Abstract
Views on space systems utilization dominating over a human society have undergone evolutionary changes over a long period of time from Gagarin’s flight up to the International Space Station (ISS). Their change became result of the world community transition from cold war to global international cooperation in space. Despite of political conditions in the end of the last century manned space stations (MSS), including orbital stations of a Salute series, Skylab, Mir, were created as bridgeheads for gradual and systematic increase in duration of the human stay on a near-earth orbit considered as a necessary condition of space developing. Directions of the ISS utilization now became a logic evolution of this fundamental approach in conditions when the space industry has substantially passed on a new (pragmatic and concrete) stage of the development – a stage of an industrial exploration of outer space. Three strategic directions of MSS utilization are allocated: (1) implementation of basic and applied research programs and experiments; (2) realization of educational and humanitarian projects; (3) providing of hi-tech and advertising services in space. By the example of space experiments performance within the framework of the ISS Russian segment utilization program (as of 2006) the characteristic of these directions is given. Advancement in each of them is possible under condition of the specific problems solution. These problems connected with availability of some restrictions on use of onboard resources, as well as necessity to adapt of MSS utilization process to realities of international cooperation both on board and on ground. The purpose of such advancement is increase of MSS utilization efficiency. The specified problems are allocated and characterized for each direction, some variants of their solution as applied to the ISS conditions are suggested. For this purpose priorities in carrying out of researches onboard space stations are formulated. These researches should be clear to a modern society and important to the government, which can provide in this case their financial support, namely: (1) basic research, first of all in those areas where the greatest scientific and technical potential is saved up, and the reserve for transition to qualitatively new level of knowledge is created; (2) the applied research directed on the further perfection of space technology including space systems and methods of long-duration manned flights support; (3) the applied research of an innovative orientation having real prospects of manufacturing application in not space branches of industry on the Earth.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-06-B4.3.05.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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