NASA Major Change: Abandoning Military Astronaut Rescue, Turning to Private Companies!

For a long time, the U.S. astronaut rescue has been the responsibility of the Air Force's 3rd Detachment.

An article published on May 1st in Space News stated this.

NASA said that this change is part of the agency's "ongoing efforts to promote a strong commercial industry and support policies encouraging the prosperity of the American commercial sector."

Currently, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is responsible for rescuing astronauts in emergency situations on Earth.

The U.S. Air Force currently has a unit called the 3rd Detachment, which is specifically trained for commercial crew program rescue missions and is responsible for "coordinating astronaut rescue and recovery, emergency landing site support, payload safety, medical support, air and sea transport coordination for emergency operations, and other support services required during spacecraft emergencies."

The 3rd Detachment is currently the only unit within the U.S. military responsible for supporting rescue operations during commercial crew program launches.

However, the agency is now seeking more options to address "rescue in abnormal situations beyond CCP mission provider requirements." A spokesperson for NASA's Commercial Crew Program said that if these commercial options are available, they may be more cost-effective and flexible than the current options.

These military personnel and assets coordinate with SpaceX's recovery team, usually operating two "fast boats" and one large recovery ship to recover astronauts and spacecraft during normal returns to Earth. One fast boat recovers the company's Dragon spacecraft's parachute during descent, while the other prepares to transfer the capsule to the larger ship for recovery. Medical personnel are stationed on the recovery ships to handle emergencies.

The commercial space industry has developed and thrived in recent years, and both NASA and the entire U.S. federal government are facing budget cuts and overall scale reductions, which is part of the Trump administration's efforts to reduce the size of the U.S. government and cut spending.

Original Article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1830867176129610/

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