Ex-heads of the space agency are convinced that the ISS would be easier to put into a stable orbit, rather than destroy. Writes UNN with reference to Futurism.
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The International Space Station (ISS) is due to be de-orbited soon. Earlier, it became known about the agreement between NASA and SpaceX, - a contract worth almost 1 billion dollars to develop a “U.S. de-orbit vehicle” that will be able to take the International Space Station out of orbit and then burn it in the Earth's atmosphere.
However, Jean-Jacques Dordain, former director general of the European Space Agency, and Michael Griffin, former NASA administrator, disagree with the plan. Both believe that the station's service life should be extended.
Former space agency leaders say the ISS should be left in orbit so that future generations of scientists can continue their experiments in space. Future generations will decide for themselves what will happen to the laboratory in orbit, says a former NASA representative and his colleague from the European agency.
As one of the many ISS builders, we recommend that those in charge consider options other than destroying the station. One option suggested by former leaders is to increase the ISS orbit rather than decrease it. This could be accomplished by using a vehicle specifically designed to destroy it
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