Kostelnik spoke here at NASAs Johnson Space Center (JSC) during a briefing on the space shuttle Service Life Extension Program (SLEP). The briefing was part of a two-day summit in nearby Galveston this week that was used by agency officials to discuss the future of the shuttle program with 400 scientists, engineers and policy makers.
Not many final decisions were made during the summit, which was the second annual SLEP gathering, largely due to the January announcement by President George W. Bush calling for the retirement of the shuttle fleet by 2010 and a commitment to send humans back to the Moon and on to Mars. Prior to that announcement, SLEP officials had spent months studying shuttle programs that stretched as far as 2015 and beyond.
"Because the Presidents vision rolled out pretty late, we only had a short time to fold it into our program," Kostelnik said, adding that a prioritized list of shuttle improvement projects is in hand. "But our near-term focus is the return to flight and the completion of the ISS."
The New Criteria
The three remaining shuttles have been grounded since the loss of Columbia and its astronauts in 2003. Since then, shuttle program officials have worked to meet new criteria set by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board to ensure that the shuttle fleet is as safe and reliable as possible before another flight takes place.
Discovery and Atlantis are being prepared for flight, though shuttle officials have not yet decided which will be used for the next space mission.
While the amount of money available to the shuttle program through the end of the decade is still uncertain, there are already a range of shuttle upgrade projects underway as part of the agencys return-to-flight activities. Those projects include such things as increased thermal protection and modifications to the shuttles external tank and the leading edge of the wings.
NASA officials said that they are also considering plans to create a safe haven for shuttle astronauts aboard the ISS should their spacecraft not be able to return to Earth safely. The plan, still in its initial development stages, would require shuttle astronauts to stay aboard the space station until a second shuttle could be launched to retrieve them. But there are some major questions about such an effort that must be answered first, not the least of which is how long a stay shuttle astronauts could expect aboard the ISS. Some NASA estimates ranged from 45 to 90 days at minimum.
"We do plan to have a safe haven capability," Kostelnik said. "Though a second vehicle would not be on the pad and primed to go."
The shuttle rescue plan could be designed to support the first return-to-flight mission and would require only a small amount of additional training for the astronauts aboard.
"We have a crew in training for the second flight, and this additional training dovetails into that," said Bill Parsons, NASAs shuttle program manager. Therefore a successful first mission would not affect the launch time of the crew to follow, he added.
Further planning discussions are needed to determine whether the plan would continue on subsequent shuttle missions.
Supporting future exploration
While the prime focus of the SLEP summit was the requirements necessary for the shuttle programs return to flight, participants also discussed how the orbiters could support future manned space projects.
SLEP officials outlined three distinct mission programs, the first covering the shuttle and ISS construction through 2010. The second and third mission programs included the possible development of a completely autonomous shuttle, as well as heavy-lift cargo vehicle to support the future needs of the ISS.
"There are some individuals who believe we could do some autonomous docking and rendezvous, using the shuttle as a test bed," Kostelnik said, adding that such projects would help make a graceful transition from the shuttle era to the next manned program.
Meanwhile, there is also the challenge to keep the aerospace workforce interested in space shuttle programs, when they may future exploration efforts as a more exciting prospect.
"The team that can do this, send humans into space, is a tremendous national asset," said Mark Craig, NASAs associate director for space development and commerce at JSC. "Keeping their eyes on the shuttles return to flight and the ISSI think thats one of the biggest challenges."
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