To build something delicate takes ages, and destruction can be done in a smack. Something very special to the world is about to perish. International Space Station(ISS), setup as one unit by all space powers in the world for orbital research has remained a rare domain of cooperation amidst hostile relationship between USA and Russia. Russian state media reported Roscosmos General Director Dmitry Rogozin as saying in an interview. “I can say this only, in accordance with our obligations, we’ll inform our partners about the end of our work on the ISS with a year’s notice….The decision has been taken already, we’re not obliged to talk about it publicly.” He had threatened earlier this month to end Russia’s mission unless the U.S., European Union and Canada lifted sanctions against enterprises involved in the Russian space industry.
ISS is largest man-made structure in space and is one of the most complex scientific and engineering projects. Russia had been a crucial player since the inception and making the ISS a success, with other space agencies relying on advanced Russian modular space station construction technology to build ISS. A total of 11 astronauts are presently inhibiting ISS – 6 Americans, 3 Russians, an Italian and a German – the diversity symbolising joint space exploration. Sanctions causing Russia’s international isolation since Ukraine crisis in February has marked the demise of this symbol.
Russia says that withdrawal from ISS will be complete 2025 and it will build and manage its own floating laboratory by 2030. NASA on the other hand, plans to operate ISS through 2030. Instead of Russian Soyuz spacecraft to transport astronauts, the U.S. space agency is now relying more on private space flights. For example, Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched the four astronauts for NASA and the European Space Agency last Wednesday.
The safety of the ISS remains a real concern amidst these promises of independent setups. Russia controls critical aspects of the space station’s propulsion control systems which provided boosts to the ISS at regular intervals. Without these regular boosts the ISS would very slowly fall toward the atmosphere, where it would mostly burn up. Yet, there is a high chance that some components may survive and fall on earth surface and even cause damage to lives, mostly in the equator area.
Ongoing Russia-Ukrain conflict continues to spiral into chaos causing unprecedented damage to sense of global village, something which entire globe had started envisioning. While technology keeps bringing humans together in space and time, the attitudinal shift and lack of communication abilities to resolve conflict have escalated. Digital natives surely need to embrace each other to resolve problems which may have resulted due to kicking the can down the road attitude. Rise of nationalisms, terrorism, lack of International co-operation, global warming are few such issues which require immediate attention.
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