NASA to Make Space Planes

In just five years, astronauts may journey to the International Space Station in a stripped-down four-seater instead of the mammoth -- and aging -- space shuttle.

In effect, NASA hopes to commute to orbit in a sleek sedan instead of an 18-wheeler.

NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe announced plans for the Orbital Space Plane before space shuttle Columbia came apart over Texas and killed seven astronauts on February 1. But the tragedy has added a powerful incentive to find a cheaper, simpler and more dependable way to ferry astronauts between the space station and Earth.

Eventually, NASA hopes to build a next generation shuttle, a more dependable heavy-lift cargo carrier to replace Columbia's three surviving sister ships. But it may be more than a decade before such a craft gets serious consideration.

For now, the space agency is rushing to design, build, test and fly a simple four-person craft that can more cheaply haul people and light cargo to the space station.

The space plane will have only two missions: to carry people up and down from the space station, and to act as a standby lifeboat, parked at the space station for the evacuation of astronauts if there is an emergency.

With a capacity of four people, the plane will make it possible for the first time to put more than three long-term residents aboard the space station. Now, the Soyuz, a three-seat craft, is the only escape vehicle available if an emergency develops on the orbiting laboratory. With four more rescue seats, the station could accommodate seven astronauts safely.

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Khorsheed.com – Sep 2003