Operational but still partially constructed international Space station/ISS is orbiting the Earth at a distance of 360 kilometres. Technical drawbacks of space shuttle have put a question mark against the completion

One for astronauts and the other for freight. Both using solid fuel booster rockets and hydrogen tank of the space shuttle.


1.PASSENGER ROCKET: Considered to be about 10 times safer than the space shuttle it also has a greater load carrying capacity of 25 tonnes against 20 tonnes of the space shuttle. Solid fuel booster rocket of the space shuttle will be used as the first stage of this rocket thereby obviating the need for designing all the components afresh. The cone of the rocket will accommodate the capsule of the astronauts. On the completion of mission the capsule will re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere and the parachutes flaring open thereafter will arrest its free fall and control its descent.

2. FREIGHT ROCKET: A low capacity spacecraft like the space shuttle is not appropriate for the construction of a large scale project like the space station in the Earth’s orbit. In fact a high capacity sturdy space freighter is required that can ferry a substantial quantity of material in each trip. NASA has drawn up the blueprint of just such a rocket. Standing 106 metres high in comparison with 56 metres high space shuttle it has the capacity to ferry into space 100 tonnes payload. This unmanned rocket will also use solid fuel rocket boosters of the space shuttle in addition to the shuttle’s hydrogen tank.


ISS AWAITS THE ROCKETS FOR COMPLETION




Operational but still partially constructed international Space station/ISS is orbiting the Earth at a distance of 360 kilometres. Technical drawbacks of space shuttle have put a question mark against the completion. Minimum 28 missions of the space shuttle are still required to complete its construction but in view of the current situation not more than 12 missions are possible over the next three years before the space shuttles are phased out. On the other hand the first launch of the freight rocket will not be possible till 2014 which means the NASA will not have any physical link with the ISS during the intervening four years. Only Russian rockets will be the means for providing the necessary linkage by ferrying the men and material between the Earth and ISS.