Because Samantha Cristoforetti will not command the new mission of the International Space Station
The Crew-4 crew mission has been shortened and Expedition 68a has been established that it will begin after Samantha Cristoforetti's departure. The comment of Enrico Ferrone, aeronautical engineer and aerospace journalist
Samantha Cristoforetti will not be commander of the 68th mission of the International Space Station. This was announced directly by ESA, specifying that this is an operation provided for by NASA's protocols.
With the winds of war blowing across Europe, it may seem superfluous to talk about space research. And yet there are situations that need to be known and understood before abandoning oneself to judgments that are rationally superficial.
As regards the non-apical position of the Italian astronaut in the planned mission, many have wondered if this communication reflects some retaliation of the state of war in progress and if it derives from subversive acts of one of the main operators of a platform that runs at 27,000 km / h at 400 km. high, visited by about 240 men and women from 19 different countries, virtually independent with its crews so cosmopolitan of everything that happens below, in a sphere shrouded in blue that made Luca Parmitano say: "Never as in space you realize that borders do not exist ".
This is not how someone behind a table the size of an apartment will have thought it a few days ago, in the Kremlin!
But let's get back to the facts of our home.
In May 2021 the European Space Agency announced that our astronaut, mission specialist of the Dragon Crew-4 crew, would be commander of the expedition assigned in spring 2022. Obviously in Italy the news was taken with euphoria last year. "Italians lose football matches as if they were wars and they lose wars as if they were football matches": true or apocryphal, the phrase attributed to Winston Churchill would have been appropriately fitted. Of course, the projection of Cristoforetti would not have been a political success, nor would it have been a success of the Arma Azzurra which she has not long left as much as the appreciation of the team that has identified in our astronaut all the skills and aptitudes to govern the SSI.
But as part of normal scheduling, the orbiting laboratory's flight plan can be changed and so it happened for the date of the crew-4 and Crew-5 switchover. By this principle, the crew-4 mission has been reduced and the 68th expedition has been established that it will begin after Samantha Cristoforetti's departure. This offset will not allow the sharing of the command of the spaceship for the 10 days foreseen. And the rules are strict, because they are scrupulously studied and tested. So it will go like this, respecting and observing the safety manuals. But the training that Cristoforetti had to follow will not be lost. Throughout his time on board, AstroSamantha will be the leader of the American Orbital Segment (USOS), which includes American, European, Japanese and Canadian modules and components.
ESA's Director of Human and Robotic Exploration David Parker said the appointment of Samantha Cristoforetti as head of USOS is a confirmation of the qualities she brings with her to the Space Station. “As a second flight astronaut and competent leader, Samantha Cristoforetti's knowledge, calm attitude and previous experience in orbit are a real asset to the crew. He is an excellent reference figure for those who are currently participating in the selection process of ESA astronauts, in particular for our candidates, who wish to represent Europe in space ».
How does the station work? Ownership and use are defined in intergovernmental agreements that allow the various components to maintain full ownership of the modules and its supply is served by Soyuz, Progress, Dragon, Cygnus and the H-II Transfer Vehicle; until 2015 also from the ATV.
Flight opportunities and roles aboard the Space Station are assigned to crew members by the Multilateral Crew Operations Panel (MCOP), consisting of representatives from ESA, NASA, Roscosmos, the Japanese agency JAXA and the Canadian agency CSA. ESA is represented by the Head of the European Astronaut Center Frank De Winne.
It is not uncommon for the flight plan to be changed as the traffic of the International Space Station must be carefully coordinated according to operational needs. Some changes were made in the mission of April 2022. «This means that Samantha Cristoforetti will no longer be commander of the International Space Station, but the panel confirms the confidence in her as leader. Samantha will continue to be fully trained for the position of commander and it is understood that, in the event that the flight plan were to return to the initial one, she would assume this role. This is how De Winne expressed himself in this regard.
A pinch of disappointment will not be missed. Samantha Cristoforetti for her part commented on the change of plans: «As crew members, we are ready to give our contribution as needed. It is an honor for me to be the head of USOS, and this role encompasses most of the duties I would have assumed as commander. However, I recognize that many people in Europe, especially many women, have drawn inspiration from the prospect of having the first European female commander of the ISS. I regret that this will not happen during my mission, but we are selecting a new class of astronauts and astronauts and I am sure that this will include highly trained and determined women who will be ready, in the not so distant future, to take on leadership roles ".
Informed sources, on the other hand, assure that the plans had already defined these developments since January, so there would be no correspondence with the international crisis. It would also be confirmed the departure of the next Soyuz for March 18, with only Russian cosmonauts on board. It must be understood, however, whether the sanctions against Russia will not jeopardize the continuity of the International Space Station itself. The general manager of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin in recent days has expressed himself severely; addressing the American president Joe Biden in a tweet reported by Ansa he wrote: "Do you want to destroy our cooperation on the SSI?" and sarcastically added: "Or do you want to manage it yourself?", which is impossible because neither the American segment nor the Russian can be managed independently. Specifically, Russia governs the part used for all attitude control and variation maneuvers for the entire station, while the American sections ensure the production of energy and backups and support for the life support system. And finally a thrust that did not go unnoticed: «If you block us, who will save the SSI from an uncontrolled deorbiting in which it can fall on the USA or Europe? There is also the possibility that a 500-ton structure will fall on India or China ”.
Therefore, like the humanitarian processes, the incredible massacre that is taking place on the borders of Europe, the energy and food implications that this senseless act of war is entailing, even the less more apparent space action has its own precise meaning and deserves the maximum attention.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/samantha-cristoforetti-missione-stazione-spaziale-internazionale/ on Fri, 04 Mar 2022 06:50:05 +0000.