Oook! Preview please … If the next Chinese flight, currently scheduled for tomorrow, gets delayed a couple of weeks, there will be 16 people in orbit, which I’m sure will be a new record.)

And I’m also sure I typed that part of it. Maybe some psychic zapped it telekinetically because he wanted to embarrass me in public?

Each crew stays up for about 6 months. Then they launch a new crew in a new Soyuz and the old crew
lands in their old Soyuz a couple of weeks later. The next crew is scheduled to launch on October 12, two days after Endeavour. (There will be 13 people in orbit at the same time. If the next Chinese I’m sure will be a new record.)

When the next crew comes down in April, they’ll be replaced by the 1st six-person crew. The 1st 3 will launch in a Soyuz in April and the 2nd group of 3 will launch about a month later in a second Soyuz. After that, about every six months, they’ll launch a new pair of Soyuz’s, each with 3 people aboard. I’m pretty sure they’ll exchange 1/2 the crew and then the other 1/2 about a month later. They won’t have 4 Soyuz’s and 12 people up there all at the same time. This whole scheme is complicated by the fact that they generally but not always swap out one crew member on each shuttle flight, and sell the extra Soyuz seat to a tourist or another country (e.g. Malaysia.)

Once the shuttle retires, all the crew swaps will be done by Soyuz’s (and I think this means no more space tourists for a while, so if you have $30M burning a hole in your pocket, NOW is the time to sign up!) , until the Orion starts flying in 2014 or 2015. (I think the 1st couple of Orion flights will be test flights and will just stay for a couple of weeks as visitors, not part of the regular crew.)

Also, I read somewhere that the payload changeout room at pad 39B is broken, and they decided not to fix it as it wouldn’t be needed if they launch everything from 39A, but the rescue flight (STS-400 is the official designation) doesn’t need it (or everything they need was already installed in the cargo bay before the rollout), so it can launch from 39B. However, if everything goes okay with Atlantis, they’ll move Endeavour to 39A and install its ISS cargo there and then launch from there.

The next flight from 39B would then be the 1st Ares 1 test, next April 15 or so. (4-segment booster, dummy 2nd stage and Orion, not sure if it will have live parachutes and launch escape system.) Then there’s a long delay (several years) before the 2nd Ares I test (5-segment booster, dummy 2nd stage, live but unoccupied Orion with live escape system, parachutes, etc. I think they plan to do a high-altitude escape system test on that flight.) Then they plan to do a 2-3 more unmanned (unpeopled?) tests with a live 2nd stage followed by a couple of crewed test flights, which will attempt to dock with the ISS and stay for a short time in 2014.

@ Michael L :

“@StevoR: I can’t see NASA selling the Shuttles off to another nation. No one else has the infrastructure needed to keep them maintained and flying. It takes more than just a Shuttle capable launch facility, but also tens of thousands of contractors, engineers, maintenance workers and astronauts. It’s also my understanding that some technology is still classified, even though they are going on 30 years old.”

Well that’s easy enough solved – we sell or teach them all the necesary technology, know-how and infrastructure too. I find it hard to accept that anything as old as the shuttle could still be classified ..

“Remember, the Russians did have their own Shuttle program that made one flight in 1988. Their Shuttle was probably more advanced in some ways that the American Shuttle in that it had a better heat shield, and was capable of flying without a crew. I doubt they would be interested in buying the American Shuttles.”

Yeah, I remember the ‘Buran’ as tehRussian shuttle was known. It only flew once didn’t it and was nothing too special from what I recall although I guess their money woes were far worse at that stage.

“Personally I think it’s a bad idea anyway.”

Can you explain why you think that?

Selling the shuttles and keeping them in use thereby giving other nations some space legs too – esp. rewarding friendly ones that can co-operate with & help us – seems like a good idea and a good way for NASA to raise funds to me!

1. ‘08 Oct. 8th Atlantis ie. this one!
2. 08 Nov. 10th Endeavour
3. 09 Feb 12th Discovery
4. 09 May 15th Endeavour
5. 09 Jul 30th Atlantis – penultimate flight
6. 09 Oct. 15th Discovery – penultimate flight
7. 09 Dec. 10th Endeavour -penultimate flight
8. 2010 Feb 11th Atlantis – final flight scheduled.
9. ‘10 April 8th Final flight of the ‘Discovery’
10. ‘10 Final flight of the ‘Endeavour’

That’s assuming NASA sticks to the current plan – personally I hope they don’t & instead keep flying them until the new vehicle is ready and operational. It’ll be sad to lose the space shuttle -our first everreusable spaceplanes and the vehicle on which more people have entered space than any
other craft.

The article didn’t say what was planned for the shuttles after their final flights and that’s a question I’d love to hear answered.

Atlantis will fly at least two more missions as it stands.

Pad B is operational for launching, but Endeavour will be moved to pad A after it is not needed for rescue. As they transition it to Ares, they would prefer not use B if they don’t have to, and, I have also heard but cannot confirm that the payload changeout room on B has not been kept up since B was last used in 2006.

STS-400 would launch from B.

Two shuttles have been on the pad 17 previous times, 1985 the first (51L 61C) and 2001 the most recent (104 105). However, there are only two known times when both had the RSS’ pulled back and both orbiters visible, and those were in 1990 and 1994. So today’s sight was quite rare.

http://www.launchphotography.com/STS-126_rollout.html

Remember, the Russians did have their own Shuttle program that made one flight in 1988. Their Shuttle was probably more advanced in some ways that the American Shuttle in that it had a better heat shield, and was capable of flying without a crew. I doubt they would be interested in buying the American Shuttles. Personally I think it’s a bad idea anyway.