why is shuttle retrieving stranded astronauts not returning until February? SpaceX shuttle launched yesterday. The ISS is close to earth. What will it do for next 5 months?
In: Planetary Science
Because the crew that launched on it are scheduled to be there for 5 months and launching spacecraft is very expensive. So it won’t be coming back until they were due to finish their mission. And the two stranded astronauts get to do the work that the other two astronauts who were supposed to launch on it would have been doing, while they wait for their ride back.
As to what it will do it will be doing, it will be there attached to the ISS, ready to be used in an emergency if the crew need to abandon the ISS for any reason. It will also be used as a shelter if the ISS is in serious danger of a collision with space junk.
Latest Answers