Feb 27 2007
From The Space Library
NASA announced that the ISS Independent Safety Task Force (IISTF) had released its final report, and that NASA had made the report available online. The U.S. Congress had mandated the task force under Section 801 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005 (Pub. L. No. 109-155, Title VIII, Subtitle A, 119 Stat. 2940), charging it with reviewing the ISS program and assessing potential vulnerabilities that could threaten the crew or cause the station’s premature abandonment. In its report, the task force identified a number of potential risks to the ISS, including possible on-board fires, attacks on the station from Earth, and collisions with a robotic arm or with visiting vehicles. However, the report named micrometeoroids and space debris as the greatest threats to the ISS. Regarding safety and crew health, the task force concluded that ISS operating procedures were thorough and sound. However, the IISTF offered several recommendations to address the grave threat of small debris striking the ISS, including keeping spare windows on board and installing extra protective measures to prevent micrometeoroids or orbital debris from puncturing the station.
NASA, “Independent Space Station Task Force Releases Final Report,” media advisory M07-27, 27 February 2007, http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2007/feb/HQ_M0727_Independent_ ISS_Task_ Force_Report.html (accessed 14 October 2009); Larry Wheeler, “Report: Space Station at Risk for Catastrophe,” Florida Today (Brevard, FL), 28 February 2007; United Press International, “Space Station Safety Report Is Issued,” 27 February 2007; International Space Station Independent Safety Task Force, “Final Report” (NASA, Washington, DC, February 2007), http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/170368main_IIST_%20Final%20Report.pdf (accessed 29 January 2010).
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