 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||
|
|
 Previous: Some Texas Amateurs to Stand Down in Columbia Debris Search |  Next: ARRL 2003 Field Day Logo, Slogan Emphasize Emergency Role |
 Expedition 6 crew members Nikolai Budarin, RV3FB, Ken Bowersox, KD5JBP, and Don Pettit, KD5MDT, answered questions from the media during two news conferences this week. [NASA Photo] |
NEWINGTON, CT, Feb 12, 2003--The all-ham crew members of the International Space Station said this week that while they grieve the loss of the shuttle Columbia crew, human space exploration must continue and they're ready to spend up to a year in space if necessary. The ISS crew made its first public comments since the February 1 shuttle disaster in two news conferences this week.
"My first reaction was pure shock," Expedition 6 crew commander Ken Bowersox, KD5JBP, told reporters February 11, when asked about how he felt when he heard the news that Columbia and her crew were lost. "I was numb and could not believe that it was happening." During serial briefings today with CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC, Bowersox and his crew reiterated their resolve to stay the course, remaining in space for up to a year if necessary. Bowersox--who had been aboard Columbia on a prior spaceflight--said the loss "was very personal" and that he could imagine himself on the mission. "We were hoping against all odd that we would have all seven of our friends survive."
Bowersox said that once it became unlikely that there were any survivors from the Columbia catastrophe, "we discussed all of the different options for how it would affect us." He said he was confident that the crew would have a way to get home. "We've got a Soyuz vehicle parked right outside," he said.
Pettit--who had played chess via radio and e-mail with Columbia pilot Willie McCool during the Columbia STS-107 science mission--said he's hoped the crew somehow had made it safely to the ground. He said the magnitude of the tragedy hit him when the ISS crew realized that there were no survivors. "I'm the type that likes to grieve quietly and in private," he said today.
 Expedition 6 Mission Commander Ken Bowersox, KD5JBP, moves bagged items from the Progress 9 supply rocket to the Zvezda Service Module on the International Space Station. [NASA Photo] |
Budarin said he's comfortable with staying in orbit as long as necessary, now that NASA has indefinitely grounded the shuttle fleet. The Russian cosmonaut told a CBS reporter that he has experienced seven months in orbit before aboard Mir, and that he's hoping for a good landing back on Earth--whether via the US space shuttle or the Russian Soyuz escape vehicle that's attached to the space station.
For his part, Bowersox said the crew was happy to stay aboard the ISS, although he's disappointed that the Columbia tragedy has caused "inevitable" turmoil on Earth. "We like it aboard space station," he said. "We're going to enjoy however many months we have to stay on orbit." Bowersox said today the crew did not feel isolated and had plenty of contact with family and friends and that, while not operating at peak efficiency, the crew members would continue to move forward with the "serious tasks" ahead of them. "We'll be working through that grieving process for the rest of the time we're here, I think."
Pettit, the Expedition 6 science officer,
said the crew's work schedule has suffered from the effects of the Columbia
tragedy. "But now, it looks like we'll have plenty of time to finish all that
we have remaining on our task list." he added.
|
A CNN reporter asked Bowersox what he would advise NASA chief Sean O'Keefe if he were sitting beside him as O'Keefe was being quizzed this week by two congressional committees. O'Keefe has committed to keeping the ISS occupied, even if it's only with two crew members. Science Officer Pettit said that cutting the crew size would hurt scientific research because the crew would spend a lot more of its time just maintaining the ISS. But, he pointed out, research into how humans cope physiologically in space would continue and would make the risk of human spaceflight worthwhile.
"This is a matter where you can decide as a society can decide to lead the way, step aside or follow," Pettit told NBC News anchorman Tom Brokaw. Space exploration is "an investment in your future, and, as such, you can't let a setback stop your exploration activities."
Bowersox agreed. "I think that being here is worth it, and we're going to gather lots of data, just from having the folks up here and bringing them back and studying them before and after they fly," he said.
The Expedition 6 crew has been aboard the ISS since November and was scheduled to return to Earth aboard the shuttle Atlantis in March. Unmanned Progress cargo rockets, including one that docked February 4, are providing fuel and supplies. On February 11, the crew used the Progress to boost the stations' orbit by about six miles (the ISS is approximately 250 miles above Earth). The crew reportedly has sufficient provisions to last at least until June. A Soyuz taxi crew is scheduled to visit the ISS in April to drop off a new Soyuz capsule and return the one now attached to the ISS.
"We'll be thinking about all of you," Bowersox said in concluding the news briefing February 12.
NASA says that after a light-duty weekend, Expedition 6 resumed its scientific and maintenance activities February 10. The Progress spacecraft has been emptied, and the crew has continued stowing the newly arrived equipment and supplies. Pettit also spent time Monday discussing ongoing repairs to the microgravity science glovebox with engineers on Earth. The glovebox has suffered from electrical problems.
In anticipation of an extended stay, NASA said, the crew is preparing an inventory of onboard supplies. The completed list will help flight control teams in Houston and Moscow prepare a manifest for the next Progress flight, scheduled for June.
The crew has not used the NA1SS onboard ham stations since the last Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) school contact in January. The next scheduled ARISS contact is set for Friday, February 21, with students at Oregon State University.
| Previous: Some Texas Amateurs to Stand Down in Columbia Debris Search | Next: ARRL 2003 Field Day Logo, Slogan Emphasize Emergency Role |
