[FPSPACE] How safe a haven?

[Allen Thomson]

A little more on Krikalev's concerns.   Question: If there were nine people 
on ISS and a rescue Shuttle weren't available, how long would it take to 
launch two Soyuzes to bring back six people and leave ISS with a hopefully 
sustainable crew of three?


Feb. 3, 2005, 9:33PM
Cosmonaut questions space shuttle strategy
NASA says it will keep crew size at seven for its upcoming mission
By MARK CARREAU
Houston Chronicle

Months before Discovery is scheduled to lift off, Sergei Krikalev, who 
becomes the station skipper in late April, has asked NASA to consider 
cutting Discovery's crew from seven to four. And if Columbia-like shuttle 
damage forces an emergency rescue, he thinks two Soyuz capsules could do it 
quicker than one U.S. backup shuttle.

"As soon as I knew the shuttle would fly during my (command), it became my 
duty to work up all of these options to be sure I would not be faced with 
two bad scenarios, and that is why I talked about this," Krikalev said 
Thursday during a news conference at Johnson Space Center discussing the 
six-month space station mission he'll share with American John Phillips. 
"It's my concern, and I feel it's my duty."

The odds of a serious problem are low, admits Krikalev, who has spent 17 
months in space. But he noted the outpost has struggled to sustain even its 
two-man U.S. and Russian crews since the loss of Columbia two years ago 
grounded NASA's shuttle fleet.

NASA intends to stick with its plans for a seven-member crew on Discovery's 
mission, NASA spokesman James Hartsfield said Thursday.

"I believe the NASA management knows exactly what the risks are," Phillips 
said.

With a shuttle crew of four, Krikalev says Russians could rescue all six 
space station crew members by launching a three-man Soyuz rescue capsule to 
join another Soyuz already parked at the outpost. With a larger Discovery 
crew, NASA would have to launch a backup shuttle or ask nine people to share 
the station's cramped quarters for months, he said.