NASA and its space station partners won't know for about two years whether the outpost will host more than three residents, program manager Tommy Holloway said. President Bush's space station plan does not include a station crew larger than three.

News of international doubts came as little surprised to experts, who say a worldwide economic downturn - triggered, in part, by a sluggish American economy - may be forcing NASA's foreign partners to reconsider their relatively large investments in a program that fails to deliver on its promise.

"Many countries, which may be going through the same economics as we are, may be hard-pressed to fund this thing," said Jay Chabrow, who led a key independent assessment of the space station program in 1998. "Do I know this is fact? No. Could it be an issue? Yes."

Space analyst John Pike, founder of Globalsecurity.org, said the only surprise in Holloway's comments is that the Japanese and European space agencies have not been beating up NASA publicly over the cost overrun.

"The space station has intermittently been in trouble, but I'd say their problems right now are the biggest problems they've ever had," Pike said. "As soon as you say you are going to cut back the crew, you're immediately confronted with the fact that there is no room for the Europeans or Japanese."

The European Space Agency, Japan and Canada signed on to the space station almost as soon as President Ronald Reagan proposed the project in 1984.

The Europeans are building a laboratory called Columbus similar to the U.S. laboratory module Destiny. Japan is building a similar segment, along with an experiment pallet.

A barometer for international harmony could be the centrifuge module to be built by Japan. The segment houses a spinning drum to simulate gravity on the station.

The module's complexity and cost concerns could cause Japan to walk away from it if NASA does not meet its obligations to build a station that could house more crewmembers.

"If we continue with the International Space Station and eventually expand to multiple crew persons and add on the international partnerships, they plan on fulfilling their obligations," Holloway said.

NASA is obliged, under the international agreement, to build a station capable of supporting a crew of six or seven. So far, the 14 other countries have been supportive, though concerned.

"Certainly the international partners are not happy with the possibility of a three-person capacity," Holloway said.

European and Japanese astronauts are not expected to live on the station until there is more room.

Holloway said engineers are looking at several ways to adapt space station Alpha for up to seven residents in case a new living quarters segment is not built.

A general decision could be made this fall, but details are not expected until 2003. The station schedule calls for completion in 2006, though that could be delayed to spread costs.

Negotiations have been under way for months with the Italian Space Agency to build the required living area for the station. A last resort would be to outfit the station's third docking hub with life support equipment and bunks to house three more crewmembers.

Discussions are also under way with the European Space Agency to pick up the slack on a crew escape ship, but French representatives have raised significant doubts about a deal.

The current crew of three relies on a Russian Zvezda service module for life support, and Russian Soyuz capsule for emergencies.

"There are more ways than one to provide return capability for six people," Holloway said.

Published under license from FLORIDA TODAY. Copyright © 2001 FLORIDA TODAY. No portion of this material may be reproduced in any way without the written consent of FLORIDA TODAY.