Leaks on the ISS and Space policy impacts on Florida

By Marian Summerall

Published November 20, 2024 at 11:48 AM EST

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The United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket launches NASA's Parker Solar Probe to touch the Sun, Sunday, Aug. 12, 2018 from Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Parker Solar Probe is humanity’s first-ever mission into a part of the Sun’s atmosphere called the corona. Here it will directly explore solar processes that are key to understanding and forecasting space weather events that can impact life on Earth.

The Future of Florida’s Space Industry

Under president-elect Donald Trump’s last term, the space agency benefited from funding key initiatives and policy directives. As we await his upcoming term, the Florida space industry could see major changes over these next four years.

SpaceX, a prominent player in the private space industry headed by Elon Musk, largely operates in Cape Canaveral. Following Musk’s appointment to lead government efficiency by the Trump administration, this relationship may contribute to future space policy over the next term.

Greg Autry, an associate Provost for space at the University of Central Florida and author of Red Moon Rising: How America Will Beat China on the Final Frontier, said that with Trump’s significant interest and involvement in space, he anticipates a budget uplift in the next presidential term. As a former member of the Trump agency review team at NASA in 2016, Autry said he saw firsthand Trump’s aggressive schedules and goals for mission launch windows.

“If we get a better commitment out of NASA and perhaps even DOD to be anchor tenants there, we can get that private investment flowing back in,” Autry said. “I think under Trump, it's more likely too that private investment retreated a little bit the last three years or so, and I think we could see that that come back and help get a lot more done with lot less.”

Autry said private companies, such as SpaceX, stand to gain under the Trump administration through government, private and commercial funding. Elon Musk aims to land humans on Mars within the next three years and under the Trump Administration, Autry said it is likely he will accomplish that goal; just not with humans on board.

“I don't know if he can make the 2026 but I would be surprised if we don't see starships on Mars in 2028 probably uncrewed,” Autry said. “But you've also got to realize, if you can put one down there with 100 tons of material, or multiple ones, each with 100 tons of material, the crew doesn't have to come back anytime soon.”

Autry said he hopes that within the next presidential term, the space industry can adopt a different paradigm and celebrate the success of Artemis and move towards Musk’s goal of steps towards missions on Mars.

“We could actually be landing on the Moon and Mars in the same year. How amazing would that be?” Autry said. “That would send a clear message to our global competitors and our allies, about who's up front, so that that would be my dream.”

The ISS is showing its age

In 1998, the International Space Station launched to serve as a hub for scientific research. After 25 years of fighting against the vacuum of space and thermal changes, it’s beginning to show signs of its age.

The space station has had leak issues before, but new leaks raise concerns over how long the orbiting outpost will last. It was built to last for 15 years, but now has been used for over 25 with no plans to retire until 2030. Don Platt, Associate Professor of Space Systems at Florida Institute of Technology compared this phenomenon to the slow leak of a car tire, but rather than a simple puncture.

This artist's digital concept depicts the completely assembled International Space Station (ISS) passing over Florida. As a gateway to permanent human presence in space, the Space Station Program is to expand knowledge benefiting all people and nations. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation. Experiments to be conducted in the ISS include: microgravity research, Earth science, space science, life sciences, space product development, and engineering research and technology. The sixteen countries participating the ISS are: United States, Russian Federation, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, and Brazil.

Platt said the space station faces harsh environmental factors that can wear down the durability of the spacecraft. He said the station is fighting about 15 pounds of pressure against the vacuum of space.

“There are thermal cycles involved… that provides a lot of stress and strain on the vehicle, there are stresses induced on the overall space station every time a new spaceship docks to the space station or undocks from the space station,” Platt said. “So, there are a significant number of stress inducing events that do occur throughout the lifetime of the overall system.”

Platt said the new leaks are in an area where Russian modules come and dock to the space station for resupply missions. But, just like fixing a leak in your car’s tire, the hatch where the leak is can be closed to contain the issue. While it is an issue, Platt said nothing major will be done other than ensuring the crew members on board are safe at all times.

“They're definitely not going to swap out the module or do anything major at this point,” Platt said. “I don't think anybody has the inclination to do that. Certainly, NASA does not have the budget to do that. They're going to make sure they can keep operating it safely, but they're just kind of going to baby it along here.”