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The docked capsules are rated for about six months, due to chemicals aboard that can degrade or escape. So if a replace vehicle doesnt arrive in time, then the
by peter303 12y ago
The docked capsules are rated for about six months, due to chemicals aboard that can degrade or escape. So if a replace vehicle doesnt arrive in time, then the astronauts may be forced to return. I recall a complete evacuation of the ISS almost happened after the Columbia accident because there werent enough Soyuz in the pipeline on Earth. The 20-some modules of the ISS are finicky enough that you dont want to leave the ISS empty for too long or it may catastrophically fail.
A lesser concern is that seats have mould inserts specific to the shape of each cosmonaut. I am not sure how they handle swaps. Maybe store the moulds on the ISS.
- jccooper 12y agoThe seat liners can be installed in Soyuz on-orbit. When the Shuttle was delivering someone who would return on a Soyuz, they'd bring the liner up as cargo on the Shuttle and swap it in. I imagine they routinely do the same for crew who arrive and depart on different Sayuz (which happens fairly regularly.)