14 DAY TRIAL // With the retirement of the space shuttles looming over NASA's head, the American space agency needs to find new means of transportation to the newly completed International Space Station. One of the possibilities is to hitch rides aboard Russian-built Soyuz spacecraft, and talks between RosCosmos and NASA are already on-going. However, the Americans may also engage in discussions with the Chinese, who may also be willing to charter their space vehicles to astronauts for a certain price.
The announcement was made by US President Barack Obama's Science Chief, Space reports. The news was made public in an interview that White House Office of Science and Technology Head John Holdren gave on the American Association for the Advancement of Science's (AAAS) blog, ScienceInsider. He said that, depending on how talks came along with the Russians, the United States could be open to discussing details of orbit rides with the Chinese space agency as well.
“If that [shuttle flights beyond 2010] can't be done and things slip, then consideration will be given to going beyond that date. And that would be the last shuttle mission. There will be a gap in our capacity to put people in space with US vehicles, because we will not have a follow-on to the shuttle ready before 2015. It might also be the Chinese, depending on how our relationship develops,” Holdren stated in the interview.
The science advisor underlined the fact that there was nothing certain about this announcement, but that the Obama administration was not ruling the possibility out of the equation. “I think it's possible in principle to develop the required degree of confidence in the Chinese. I put it out there only as speculation, but I don't think it should be ruled out,” he shared. The expert also added that it would be “at least” a five-year gap between the retirement of the shuttle fleet and the introduction of the new Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, the main part of the Constellation Project.
Despite adversities between the US and China on other matters, such as fighting against global warming, the two nations could work together in space exploration-oriented efforts. The Asian nation could even become a partner in the International Lunar Network, a scientific endeavor meant to ensure the placing of robots on the Moon's surface as soon as possible. NASA, JAXA, ESA and the Chinese space agency all have plans to develop lunar bases, and a cooperative approach may ensure that this happens sooner, rather than later.