Space Station's Political Woes

A U.S. law designed to stop the transfer of sensitive technologies from Russia to Iran could spell trouble for the future of the National Aeronautics & Space Administration's human space program. The law, the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000 (INA), prohibits the U.S. from paying Russia for anything related to the International Space Station (ISS) unless the U.S. President finds that Russia is taking steps to stop the flow of such technologies.

A few years ago, the limitations of this act on spending related to ISS would not have drawn a second thought, but that was before NASA grounded its shuttle fleet and canceled development of a spacecraft to taxi ISS crews back to Earth in case of an emergency. Now, NASA's reliance on Russia's Soyuz vehicles to carry astronauts to and from the station--as well serving as a "lifeboat" for the ISS crew--have caused supporters of the U.S. human space program to worry.

At issue is the U.S.'s future access to ISS. With the U.S. space shuttle fleet grounded for more than two years since the Columbia tragedy, NASA has been forced to rely on the Russian Soyuz. That reliance has highlighted NASA's vulnerability in accessing the station in the absence of the shuttle, but it has not barred U.S. access to the station because of an existing agreement with Russia.

The agreement, struck in 1986 between NASA and the Russian space agency, committed Russia to providing 11 Soyuz spacecrafts to be used for U.S. and Russian crew rotation and as a lifeboat for crew members in case of an emergency. Earlier this month, Russia launched its 10th Soyuz covered by the agreement and will launch the final craft this October.

Although NASA expects to have its shuttle fleet flying again later this spring (C&EN, April 18, page 32) and will therefore no longer be dependent on Russia to carry its astronauts to and from the station, the agency plans to retire the aging shuttles after construction of ISS is complete, which is anticipated in 2010. The shuttle's successor--the Crew Exploration Vehicle--isn't expected to be ready until 2014, and it is being designed to travel to and from the moon, but may also be able to dock with ISS. The projected four-year gap will again mean that the Russian Soyuz will be the only way to get to and from ISS--only this time, the U.S. will not be guaranteed a free ride.

But paying Russia for use of the Soyuz may become a problem long before the shuttle retires. Even with the shuttle's return to flight, NASA will still rely on the Soyuz to serve as a lifeboat for crew members between shuttle visits. The shuttle can dock on the station for about two weeks. Astronauts who stay on the station for longer periods must have a guaranteed escape craft to use in case of an emergency--the Soyuz is currently the only craft to fill that role.

"Unless NASA changes its policy and decides to permit its astronauts to live aboard ISS without a lifeboat, U.S. astronauts will not be able to be part of long-duration missions--unless NASA can obtain Russian services," says a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report on this topic issued in March. "If Russia will not provide [services] at no cost, NASA must either forego having astronauts on ISS for long-duration missions or be permitted to pay Russia," the report adds.

NOT HAVING astronauts on ISS for long durations, however, is not compatible with the goals of the President's vision, which targets a return to the moon by 2020 before setting out for other destinations such as Mars (C&EN, March 1, 2004, page 22). The agency has already noted that it will shift research on ISS to focus on issues related to long-term space travel.

"ISS will be an integral part of space exploration," says Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Science & Space. "We must address INA to ensure a promising future for the space station and future space endeavors."

According to an Office of Science & Technology Policy official, the White House has taken note of the situation and has assembled an interagency group consisting of the State Department, the Department of Defense, NASA, and various offices within the White House to look into this issue. He adds that the White House hopes to conclude the process soon, but that no time line has been established.

If and when the Administration produces what many in Congress expect to be an amendment to INA, it will be met with scrutiny. "We're waiting for the Administration to send up proposed amendments to INA, and we'll carefully review anything they propose," Science Committee Chair Sherwood L. Boehlert (R-N.Y.) says.

As the CRS report points out, at the heart of this discussion is "whether nonproliferation benefits gained by linking ISS to Russian proliferation behavior are worth the cost to the U.S. space program at this point in time." The answer to this question will undoubtedly affect the future of NASA's human space program.