Space Rescue

[bob225]

Hello all.

With the issues we've seen and the speculation around Starliner, a genuine question:

Can astronauts be rescued from space? if so, how?

i'm sure NASA, SpaceX, Roscomos and Chinese space agency will have planned this out.

So to our resident experts, what is available and how would it work?

What happens to modules that are either unable to dock with ISS and have problems or have un-docked and suffered system failure?

I know many will say that it won't happen, fingers crossed, but if it did what could be done?

Cheers all

 

[Byeman]

What happens to modules that are either unable to dock with ISS and have problems or have un-docked and suffered system failure?

They deorbit.

Hello all.

With the issues we've seen and the speculation around Starliner, a genuine question:

Can astronauts be rescued from space? if so, how?

They wait on the ISS until a rescue vehicle is sent.

 

[bob225]

They deorbit.

They wait on the ISS until a rescue vehicle is sent.

I'm asking what i i feel is a sensible question, i'm asking for slightly more ideas and answers than your normal no's or put downs.

i asked this similar question in the starliner thread and you gave a similar snotty reply.

I'm assuming what you really mean is you've got no smart answer to provide?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1809290537687756957

View: https://x.com/Space_Pete/status/1809290537687756957

 

[Byeman]

i asked this similar question in the starliner thread and you gave a similar snotty reply.

I'm assuming what you really mean is you've got no smart answer to provide?

You provided a unrealistic scenario and I gave a correct answer to it.

I'm asking what i i feel is a sensible question, i'm asking for slightly more ideas and answers than your normal no's or put downs.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1809290537687756957

View: https://x.com/Space_Pete/status/1809290537687756957

You asked about "What happens to modules". Modules what make up the ISS or what was carried in the shuttle. The are not independent spacecraft. If they have issues there is little that can be done and they would deorbit.

If you meant crewed spacecraft instead of "modules", that is on you

You referred to Starliner and to rescue its astronauts; they would wait on the ISS for a rescue craft.

There is no plan in place at this time to rescue a free flying stranded crewed spacecraft. there is no quick launch capability or common docking mechanism.

 

[TomcatViP]

I think that the notion of rescue is a bit voided here. Emergency planning encompass preventing the worst case scenario to be able to deal with it. If you call 911 for a house fire, they don´t send you a taxi to drive to the hospital. You get an ambulance, a fire truck and very often cops.
Space emergency should be considered with a crew stuck in a module without a docking system, a module on fire and a risk of exploding decompression: You don´t want to dock on this or eve park near.

Similarly, fire rescue team don´t get your door keys and that of all your neighbors. They´ve got a nice axe allocated instead.
The problem of having or not to have a standardized docking system is a problem to deal when planning daily operations. Not Emergency.

Hence, an emergency rescue ship does not have to be burdened by standardization problems or docking needs. It´s a good thing as any ship can now be that emergency vehicle, tackling by itself the problem of redundancy and readiness that is the biggest one here.

So how do you transfer a crew to the rescuing vehicle? Redundancy in openings (a pyrotechnic manhole for example where you can´t have a proper airlock), a Space suits available nearly everywhere and compact enough to be stored easily and, ideally, a spacewalker on the station side and means to access and transfer astronauts from one ship to another without docking (hence, a rescue pack with tools and hardware available or readily available to all missions).

But I am sure we are not re-inventing the wheel here.

 

[bob225]

You provided a unrealistic scenario and I gave a correct answer to it.




You asked about "What happens to modules". Modules what make up the ISS or what was carried in the shuttle. The are not independent spacecraft. If they have issues there is little that can be done and they would deorbit.

If you meant crewed spacecraft instead of "modules", that is on you

You referred to Starliner and to rescue its astronauts; they would wait on the ISS for a rescue craft.

There is no plan in place at this time to rescue a free flying stranded crewed spacecraft. there is no quick launch capability or common docking mechanism.

Afternoon,

Ok yes i meant a crewed spacecraft.

So allow me to re-phrase my question... if we have astronauts in a ship of some type on orbit that can't dock with ISS and are unable to safely re-enter due to failure of some sort, can they be rescued?

Currently it appears not, so what could be done was my thought.

 

[TsrJoe]

I'm wondering if future decades, being positive that space exploration continues being a multi nation venture, we will see common docking systems (I was under the impression we all use the Russian setup ?) and spacesuit connectors
I recall reading that submarines all use a compatible docking collar to enable and facilitate rescue ?

cheers, Joe