ISS to be 'retired' in 2016? Likely.

An article in the Washington Post newspaper in the U.S. states that once the Shuttle fleet is retired, planned for next year, the International Space Station will be serviced by Soyuz for only a few years more, then it will all come crashing down in a fiery end on 2016 due to budget constraints.

From the newspaper:

The rap on the space station has always been that it was built primarily to give the space shuttle somewhere to go. Now, with the shuttle being retired at the end of 2010, the station is on the spot. U.S. astronauts will be able to reach the station only by getting rides on Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft.

Article from cnn.com here:

scitech.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/15/nasa-to...ace-station-in-2016/

What do you think about that?

Seanie.

no way!, thats crazy, they spent years and billions building this thing, it just has to last longer then that. !!!
The paper is scare mongering IMHO.

I some how doubt NASA could just dump the ISS, surely JAXA, ESA and the Russian Space agency and every other agency involved might have something to say about it first.

Darragh

I can't see it being allowed
to just become the most expensive fireworks in history.

The ISS is way to important now for that to happen.
I think the reporter is crystal ball gazing a bit too much.

I also think it has become much more than what it was
initially planned to be.

It's now a major stepping stone for further jumps to the
Moon, Mars... who knows?

In this May report in BBC current deadline was 2015 - ESA want it funded to 2020 and the Russians are alleged to have plans to separate their part and going it alone.

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8064060.stm

Mark

BTW there's been odd politics going on for a while - I think roots are with NASA not being happy to share resources when the Russisans are bringing on-board paying "tourist"s.

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7973747.stm

Mark