Here is a example. A astronaut in a manned satellite that is in orbit of earth. Runs out of fuel to de-orbit but has a lot of rations left.
Would NASA attempt to rescue them? Or just let them die to avoid launching highly expensive missions to get them?
Would NASA attempt to rescue them? Or just let them die to avoid launching highly expensive missions to get them?
-
Ever since the Discovery accident, a second Shuttle was prepared to launch as a rescue mission because of the threat that the first shuttle may not be able to return to Earth. However it's very expensive and time consuming to launch another space craft, if one was not prepared to launch, it would not be possible to prepare one in time. Rushing another spaceship to launch also endangers another crew as the rescue mission would not have had months for training and to check out all the systems.
If there is enough fuel, they may be able to use one of the emergency Soyuz capsules at ISS to pick up the stranded astronaut but orbits have to be planned and not all orbits are accessible from the ISS, besides the rescue capsules are only intended for re-entry.
In the 1960's, they considered a bailout plan called MOOSE and Paracone but those plans were never developed. Had they been developed, the astronaut would have the last ditch plan of re-entering in a heat shielded styrofoam peanut.
If there is enough fuel, they may be able to use one of the emergency Soyuz capsules at ISS to pick up the stranded astronaut but orbits have to be planned and not all orbits are accessible from the ISS, besides the rescue capsules are only intended for re-entry.
In the 1960's, they considered a bailout plan called MOOSE and Paracone but those plans were never developed. Had they been developed, the astronaut would have the last ditch plan of re-entering in a heat shielded styrofoam peanut.
-
I believe NASA has this covered, because a satellite won't really need fuel to de orbit. That's for ships. NASA just lets the satellite crash and retreives the data, and if the satellite is manned, it would have a capsule and parachutes to safely land the astronaut. But if you want your answer: Yea, NASA would attempt to rescue if what you said was actual because he is orbiting and it does not cost as much as you think to reach orbit. It wouldent take a rocket, some air force planes can reach earth in outer orbit.
-
NASA does not have the ability to get a capsule/recovery vehicle into orbit. Come to think of it they cannot get an astronaut into danger.
-
One of the capable space agencies would retrieve them.