Historical structures, like the residence of Alexander Graham Bell in Nova Scotia, are often transformed into museums or national historic sites to safeguard their legacy for future generations. But what about preserving a structure the size of a football field orbiting 400 kilometers above the Earth?
NASA’s official strategy involves deorbiting the International Space Station (ISS) at the end of its lifespan, meaning it will be intentionally plunged back into Earth’s atmosphere for a controlled crash in a remote ocean location. However, recent developments in the U.S. Government have prompted a call to reassess this plan and explore the feasibility of storing the ISS in low Earth orbit instead.
Since 2000, the ISS has been continuously manned by astronauts and cosmonauts from various nations, including the U.S., Russia, Canada, Europe, and Japan. Assembled incrementally through multiple space missions, the ISS, with a mass exceeding 400 metric tonnes, stands as the largest scientific laboratory ever deployed in space, hosting numerous experiments unique to a microgravity setting.
With its operational life nearing its end, NASA announced in January 2022 that the ISS will be decommissioned by 2030 and deorbited in 2031. The current plan entails utilizing a SpaceX rocket to guide the station on a trajectory that will lead to its disintegration over the Pacific. This approach mirrors the fate of its predecessor, the Russian Space Station MIR, which met a similar demise in 2001.
Challenges arise in determining the fate of the ISS, as simply abandoning it is not an option due to atmospheric drag causing it to gradually lose altitude. Various proposals, including boosting it to a higher orbit, present technical and logistical hurdles such as fuel requirements and structural integrity concerns. NASA’s analysis highlights the risks associated with altering the ISS’s orbit, including the potential for catastrophic collisions with space debris.
Efforts to find alternative solutions, such as transferring ownership to private entities or repurposing the station, have yielded no viable outcomes so far. While discussions continue on preserving the ISS for future generations, the likelihood remains that the iconic space laboratory, valued at $100 billion, will ultimately meet its end through atmospheric incineration and submersion in the Pacific Ocean unless a more sustainable plan emerges.
