{"id":12920,"date":"2024-06-29T10:01:21","date_gmt":"2024-06-29T10:01:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/used82.com\/?p=12920"},"modified":"2024-06-29T10:01:21","modified_gmt":"2024-06-29T10:01:21","slug":"nasa-is-paying-elon-musks-spacex-843000000-to-crash-the-international-space-station-into-the-ocean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/used82.com\/?p=12920","title":{"rendered":"NASA is paying Elon Musk’s SpaceX $843,000,000 to crash the International Space Station into the ocean"},"content":{"rendered":"

NASA has reportedly brought in SpaceX to assist when the station is ‘retired’ from service<\/h2>\n

NASA has signed on SpaceX to assist with the retirement of the International Space Station (ISS).<\/strong><\/p>\n

The\u00a0space<\/a>\u00a0agency confirmed that\u00a0Elon Musk<\/a>‘s company has been given the contract to design a ‘deorbit’ vehicle for the station.<\/p>\n

This will carry the ISS into a lower orbit when it ceases its operations and is retired from service in 2030.<\/p>\n

The main priority of the operation, which will be overseen by Musk’s\u00a0business<\/a>, is to avoid any risk of the space station posing a threat to any populated areas.<\/p>\n

There are many ways to retire a satellite.<\/p>\n

Some are allowed to burn up in the atmosphere as they re-enter, meaning they pose no threat.<\/p>\n

Others are cast off into deep space.<\/p>\n

But a third group is brought back to Earth right in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, as far from any inhabited place as it’s possible to be on Earth.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Cosmonauts<\/div>\n

Cosmonauts on board the ISS. (NASA \/ Handout \/ via Getty)<\/cite><\/div>\n

It’s this third option which awaits the ISS, with the retirement seeing it deorbited and crashed into the ocean.<\/p>\n

Ken Bowersox is the associate administrator for Space Operations Mission Directorate at\u00a0NASA<\/a>\u00a0Headquarters in Washington.<\/p>\n

He said in a statement: \u201cSelecting a\u00a0US<\/a>\u00a0Deorbit Vehicle for the International Space Station will help NASA and its international partners ensure a safe and responsible transition in low Earth orbit at the end of station operations.<\/p>\n

“This decision also supports NASA\u2019s plans for future commercial destinations and allows for the continued use of space near Earth.<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cThe orbital laboratory remains a blueprint for science, exploration, and partnerships in space for the benefit of all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ever since its launch the ISS has been viewed as a symbol of international co-operation in an increasingly divided and hostile world.<\/p>\n

\n
\"The<\/div>\n

The exterior of the ISS. (Stocktrek Images \/ Getty)<\/cite><\/div>\n

Astronauts from all over the globe have visited the station, conducting observations, experiments, and education.<\/p>\n

There are even a group of hobbyists who try to radio in to the station as it passes overhead.<\/p>\n

The station is set to be retired from service in 2030, bringing its operational life to a close and feeling rather like the end of an era.<\/p>\n

As for what comes after the ISS, that’s not clear.<\/p>\n

Some argue for a successor station, while others highlight the cost of sending humans to space and point out that for science, it is cheaper and easier to send robots.<\/p>\n

Of course, if Twitter \/ X and the Tesla’s Cybertruck are anything to go by, NASA could have saved money on destroying the ISS by just selling it to Musk and waiting for it to crash.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NASA has reportedly brought in SpaceX to assist when the station is ‘retired’ from service…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"views":298,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/used82.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/used82.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/used82.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/used82.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/used82.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12920"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/used82.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12920\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/used82.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/used82.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/used82.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}