NASA has decided not to abandon the Unions

3

Despite the numerous statements by Elon Musk about the capabilities of the American reusable manned spacecraft Crew Dragon, NASA does not refuse places for its astronauts on Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

This was during a press conference, which was broadcast on the website of the US space department, said its head Jim Bidenstein.



Moreover, he noted that even the successful test of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft could not cause the Russian Soyuz to refuse to deliver American astronauts to the ISS:

Even with the confidence in our team that we are experiencing, I think it would be unwise to go that route. I consider it important to expand the range of opportunities available to us and to ensure a further American presence on the International Space Station. We are not ready to make any adjustments on this front.

The head of NASA also emphasized that when Crew Dragon is ready for a manned flight, then in terrestrial orbit he can engage in "additional activities that are not yet planned, but may be required depending on what is happening on the ISS."

Judging by the statement by Brydenstein, Space X Ilona Mask is not yet ready to launch the Crew Dragon with a man on board, while the Russian Soyuz have long established themselves as reliable and safe ships.
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  1. 123
    123
    +1
    21 January 2020 08: 59
    It is difficult to blame the head of NASA for lack of prudence. The ship is still damp. They are not going to risk the lives of astronauts for the sake of striving at any cost to get rid of the "dependence" on foreign carriers. They are still flying in the Soyuz for a year, and by that time the ship will be finished.
    1. monman
      monman
      0
      22 January 2020 03: 10
      The ship is still damp. They are not going to risk the lives of astronauts for the sake of striving at any cost to get rid of the "dependence" on foreign carriers.

      I think that NASA comes from a situation where it is better to “overdo” than “not overdo”.
      Today news from NASA:

      A successful test in space of the Crew Dragon spacecraft on January 19 in space increases the likelihood that this spring the spacecraft will be ready for a test flight with a crew called Demo-2. At a press conference, SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk said it was "likely" that the flight would take place in the second quarter of this year.
      On a Demo-2 flight, NASA astronauts Bob Benken and Dag Hurley will fly on a Dragon crew to the ISS. This was originally conceived as a short-term mission, of the order of a couple of weeks, but NASA leaves the door open to extend this mission indefinitely.

      “Do we want this first mission to be short, or do we want it to be longer?” Said NASA administrator Jim Bridenstein at the briefing immediately after Musk offered his assessment of when the mission would be ready to fly. According to him, if NASA decides to extend the Demo-2 mission, astronauts will need additional preparation for operations on the ISS, which will delay the launch.
      The current plan, he said later, is to keep Demo-2 as a short-term mission. But expanding the mission, he said, will allow NASA to get “maximum power” from the station. “We will be able to maintain a greater presence of astronauts at the space station for longer periods of time.”

      According to Bridenstein, the decision to expand Demo-2 will be made in the near future. “These are the decisions that we will make in the coming weeks,” he said.
      1. 123
        123
        +1
        22 January 2020 07: 45
        I think that NASA comes from a situation where it is better to “overdo” than “not overdo”.

        And this is about the same, only in other words.

        A successful test in space of the Crew Dragon spacecraft on January 19 in space increases the likelihood that this spring the spacecraft will be ready for a test flight with a crew called Demo-2.

        Tested the rescue capsule. It seems to have worked normally. Check. Musk is full of optimism, tuned for a manned flight in the 2nd quarter. NASA representative is more cautious in the forecasts (in the video the 40th minute). So far, they are not going to refuse from UNIONS.