12 mo. ago • 95%

NASA Seeks Proposals from US Industry for Station Deorbit Spacecraft

blogs.nasa.gov NASA Seeks Proposals from US Industry for Station Deorbit Spacecraft

NASA has released a request for proposal from U.S. industry for the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle (USDV), a spacecraft meant to safely deorbit the International Space Station as part of its planned retirement.

Space @beehaw.org NASA Seeks Proposals from US Industry for Station Deorbit Spacecraft

14 comments

$10 says it's going to be a Starship variant, possibly with extra engines and cold gas thrusters.

I wonder if anyone will counter propose to put the whole thing in a parking orbit as a museum piece.

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- I wonder if anyone will counter propose to put the whole thing in a parking orbit as a museum piece.
  
  This is what I’ve been thinking. I assume it hasn’t been on the table because it would be hugely expensive and difficult (due to the station not being designed for the kind of burns needed to substantially boost its orbit). But honestly, I’d much rather see funds and research devoted to preserving such a significant piece of space flight history over manned trips to the moon and mars.
  
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  But honestly, I’d much rather see funds and research devoted to preserving such a significant piece of space flight history over manned trips to the moon and mars
  
  What?
  
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  Would an ion thruster be suitable for something like this? It's not like you need to instantly yeet it up to a higher orbit.
  
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Put a nuke in it and detonate when it's over Australia at night, make sure the nuke has enough megatons to make it daylight, that'll show em

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- My wife was like “aww, that’s kinda sad”
  
  Then I read “put a nuke in it” and busted out laughing at the juxtaposition of tone.
  
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- All that does is scatter radioactive bits and parts all over the earth
  
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  Hey it was a proposal, they didn't specify whether it had to be good
  
  4
I want HD cameras recording the whole thing. Inside and out!

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