It's a Station, Not a Ship

Michael Benson's article in Sunday's Outlook section was more science fiction than science. Benson argues that the aimlessly orbiting International Space Station (ISS) doesn't serve much of a purpose -- and that we should retrofit it to fly somewhere more interesting. I pictured Jean-Luc Picard piloting the ISS on a fantastic voyage through the solar system, searching out alien beings on Europa and Titan. And I wondered whether, with some "minor modification," my family's sedan might be adapted to fly to Europe.

Human spaceflight still remains in its infancy. NASA has had only one astronaut remain in space for a mission longer than 200 days, and only 27 astronauts have traveled more than 900 miles above the Earth's surface. Just think, until 1973, the "Flying Key Brothers" held the U.S. record for the longest time spent above the Earth's surface on a single flight. That was in 1935. In an airplane.

Human missions to Mars will not be just a bit harder than a trip to the Moon and back, which takes a matter of days. They will be incredible multi-year journeys -- more like the voyages of Magellan than Apollo. Crews will need to be self-sufficient pioneers. They will need to bring or grow their own food, recycle their waste water and carbon dioxide, and carry all the spare parts and supplies needed to safely accomplish their mission. They will be on their own, with a seven-to-40 minute delay in messages relayed from Earth and no chance for rescue.

We don't yet have all the technology that will enable crews to descend through the Mars atmosphere, land on its surface and survive there for months or possibly over a year until the Earth and Mars align in a way that makes it possible to start the journey home. We also know little about how humans will survive the journey, how they can be protected from the Sun's radiation, and how they will survive that long without the influence of Earth's gravity.

This is where the ISS comes in. It is not meant to be a literal jumping off point for Mars-bound spacecraft, as Benson suggests. Rather, it is a "stepping stone" facility, where many of the basic technological and human health challenges associated with going to Mars can be addressed.

Although lunar missions may prepare crews for some of the activities that will be performed on the Mars surface, the ISS and its low-gravity environment provide the best analog for the environment that astronauts will need to contend with on journeys to Mars and back.

As one of the many thousands of engineers who have worked on the Space Station program over the years, I believe in its value. NASA serves the country by developing innovative technologies, deepening scientific understanding of our world and universe, and furthering our government's domestic and international policy objectives. All of these goals can be supported through research on the ISS.

As our nation's human space program evolves from its infancy and moves beyond Earth's orbit, we should keep the discussion focused on the true challenges we face and on finding creative strategies for overcoming them. I will only plan on driving as far east as Ocean City this summer. And I hope that our nation's discussion on the future of human spaceflight will stay similarly grounded in reality.

Jeff Volosin is a NASA contractor and former NASA engineer.