ISS - A Sailor on a Sea of Fate by preeder
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Description
Got the idea for this write up from an old Michael Moorcock book I read many years ago and on reflection it seems hugely appropriate.
By the end of this year (2010) the International Space Station should be fully completed and full up and running. Estimates for the life-span of this giant which floats silently above us, and which cost not millions but billions of dollars, rubles, yen, euro's and the currency of every other country which has contributed something to its creation used to range from 2015 to 2020, with 2025 being the latest estimate. The question I now ask myself is what happens to it then? Previous space stations like the US Skylab and the Russian MIR, stations which have been considerably smaller in size, and which have outlived their usefulness, have been allowed to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere and burn-up. In both cases a total burn-up was not the case and pieces did reach the surface of the Earth. The international Space Station is far too big to be allowed to re-enter the atmosphere in one piece as the consequences if it hits a population centre could be, would be catastrophic.
So what to do with the this floating giant? One answer I suppose would be to sell it off to some other interested party. China has an on-going space programme so I suppose they might be interested. Another answer could be to send a team of astronauts to the station to dismantle it piece by piece, slowly over a period of time and let the pieces burn-up as they re-enter the atmpsphere. Seem like a huge waste to me when so much time, effort and expense has gone into creating this monument to space-faring achievement, to just if off cheap or let it burn-up.
If space is the new ocean, then the ISS is truely a sailor on that ocean and "A Sailor on a Sea of Fate" as its future will one day hang in the balance.
So I have another suggestion I would like to put forward which I hope someone out there will consider. One day humankind will once again ventre further than Earth orbit, because one-day humankind will have no option but to do that if it is going to survive. The stepping stones for this next great voyage of discovery and survival may firstly take us back to the Moon and will certainly take to Mars and then beyond. When that finally happens we will need a starting point, a base of operations from which to set-out. The craft we will use in these new voyages of discovery will not be small and because weight is one of the most important contributing factors when planning any space mission we will probably need a place, where over a period of time, perhaps many months, this next generation of spacecraft can be assembled, piece by piece, before making the long, or not so long voyage of discovery and exploration. To this end I offer such a place - I offer "The International Space Station". Just a thought I had which I felt like passing your way for your consideration.
Well that's the end of this series on the ISS, or is it just the beginning? This series is actually part one of a three part series I am currently working on, and hope to present for your entertainment in the comming months.
For those of you who have been with this series from the beginning, and have supported it with your views and kind remarks - I thank you. I hope you enjoy what is to eventually follow, as much as you have enjoyed what has been presented over the last three weeks.
Bye for now.
Phil R.
Comments (8)
Styxx
Great render and text. I too see it as a horrible waste to simply abandon the ISS.
CleonXXI
Outstanding image of the ISS and a very useful discussion about its future. All that work did go for something, hopefully, and perhaps it will be profitably used for many years as an experimentation station. Like many terrestrial machines that are thought of as "failed prototypes", even were the ISS to be abandoned or dismantled today, it would be a success of sorts, since many lessons about larger scale space contstruction were learned as it was built. Of course, such lessons can be lost if not properly captured, much as modern architects today cannot capture in all cases the strength and durability of some the great works of antiquity made with Roman hydraulic cement. Hopefully the ISS will be a beacon for international cooperation in space as intended, and a functional platform for future exploration of space. As you note, ultimately it is a matter of species survival. Getting that point across to humans whose survival instincts are still keyed to the ways their brains were wired to survive the African savannah of a million years ago is the trick. By publicizing, even in a small way, the potential of the ISS, you've done your part to get that message out, and for that sir, I thank you.
kasalin
Excellent informations, dear Phil !!! A nice scene, background and a great artwork too !!! 5* Hugs Karin :)
SIGMAWORLD
Excellent!
adrie
Outstanding and fantastic space scene my friend, wonderful work as alway....love it.
psyoshida
Great scene. I have thoroughly enjoyed this series and I'm sorry to see it end but look forward to your next phase. I agree space junk of all kinds, is a huge dilemma.
ledwolorz
Fantastic work.
Alex_Antonov
Wow!