Space station’s vision is at hand

Right now, 10 Russian and American men and women orbiting 200 miles above Earth are busy installing new toilets, refrigerators and bedrooms aboard the most complicated construction project ever undertaken: the International Space Station.

The improvements are a birthday present of sorts for the station, which began its life in November 1998 with the launch of a Russian-made, bus-sized module called Zarya. Two weeks later, it was joined in orbit by an American-made companion called Unity, carried up by the space shuttle Endeavour.

Today, after 10 years and $100 billion, the station is poised to fulfill its vision as a research outpost for cutting-edge science. Scientists believe experiments in microgravity can find cures for disease and develop powerful new drugs.

But funding worries -- and the question of how American astronauts and equipment will get to and from the structure when it’s finally finished in 2010 -- leaves its future uncertain.

The space shuttle fleet is scheduled for retirement then, and there’s no heavy-lifting rocket immediately available to replace it.

“The crisis in transportation is a big issue, and we have to figure out what we are going to do when the shuttle retires,” said Jeanne Becker, a scientist whose research project to find a vaccine for salmonella is in orbit.

NASA’s next-generation rocket won’t come online until 2015. Until then, Americans will have to rely on Russian-made Soyuz spacecraft to get to the station. The prospect leaves many politicians uneasy.

It leaves the space station’s Japanese, Canadian and European partners even more uncomfortable. With the retirement of the shuttle, nothing will be able to carry big experiments.

“Ever since the retirement of the shuttle was announced, it has been a big concern. It’s the long pole in the tent,” said a Western diplomat whose country is a key partner.

The hope is that new rockets and capsules will be developed to take over. But that will take time, and European and Japanese space officials are under pressure to show a return from their investment in space station science.

James Muncy, a space policy consultant in Washington, said: “The station has been a success in demonstrating the value of international partnerships in human spaceflight. Unfortunately, our partners are still waiting for the full research capabilities to come on line.”

Jim Zimmerman, who served as NASA’s representative in Europe from 1985 to 1997, said the 10th anniversary marks a pivotal moment as the nearly complete laboratory moves to double its crew to six members. It’s now the largest spacecraft ever built, nearly the size of a football field and weighing more than 627,000 pounds. It orbits the Earth every 90 minutes.

“The true potential of the station is now starting to be realized,” Zimmerman said.

In April, the Government Accountability Office estimated that the current three-member crew did “no more than three hours” of science a week. Once there are six astronauts, “we will have at least the equivalent of one dedicated crew member for research,” said Mark Uhran, NASA’s assistant associate administrator for the station. That means a minimum of 40 hours a week for science.

President-elect Barack Obama has said he is committed to utilizing the station beyond 2016, when U.S. policy has America pulling out. The question is whether the station can live up to its promise.

“To do that, we need the shuttle, at least a little bit longer,” Zimmerman said.

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