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NASA May Ask Russians to Delay Space Station Module Launch
By Irene Brown
Special to space.com
posted: 07:09 am ET
28 September 1999
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NASA mulling station delaysCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. NASA is considering asking the Russians to delay the launch of the Service Module component for the International Space Station, at least in part because of delays in the Space Shuttle mission schedule. The launch is currently scheduled for November 12. Top NASA managers are heading to Russia this week for a meeting with space station partners to review plans for launching the long-delayed Service Module and other key components. Although nothing is in writing, a NASA spokesman confirmed that managers are considering proposing to the partners that the Service Module not be launched on November 12 as currently planned. Because of ongoing shuttle wiring inspections and repairs, NASAs next mission to the budding International Space Station is being delayed from December to no earlier than January 22, and possibly not even until February. If the Service Module the stations core component is launched as planned on November 12, it likely would be left on its own for three months before astronauts could be flown to the outpost to make any necessary adjustments or refinements. NASA and Russia are spearheading a $60-billion project to build and operate the International Space Station, which is to be constructed in orbit over the next five years. The Service Module is Russias primary contribution to the station. It is to serve as the first crews living quarters and as the command and control module for the outpost. So far, only two space station components are in orbit a Russian-built, U.S.-financed propulsion module called the FGB or Zarya, and a connecting node called Unity. Zarya was launched last November, then joined with the Unity node by a shuttle crew in December 1998. A second shuttle crew visited the outpost in May to deliver equipment, but no new modules.
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