NASA should get into the business of "Space Rescue"

I thought of this being a firefighter, that NASA has a charisma problem, no one thinks Astronauts are the right stuff anymore. NASA can rectify this with Space Rescue as well as the spear tip of exploration. And NASA can relinquish space exploration in general to private companies. Requiring private companies to purchase large insurance plans so that if something goes wrong NASA will attempt a rescue or recovery.

I have developed it something like this: A month shift schedule between 3 or 4 crews who each take a week shift.

The crew on shift is launched, the crew on deck (next shift) is ready to be launched. The shift launched performs a week of maneuvers and exercises and training, and the shift on deck is their back-up. They rotate like a standard 48/96 shift cycle at some fire departments, except the shifts are week long shifts instead of 2 days. This gives them a week off or so to live at home with the family, if there were 4 shifts, it'd give them 2 weeks off...etc.

While on shift they are rigorously training whether on earth or in space.

The rescue ideas I have aren't limited to the realm of possibility either, I have already tackled the first issue I deem most important, a tumbling out of control space craft.

How do you stop a spacecraft from tumbling? I thought of it like this, as it tumbles it could roll-up a "ball of yarn" which is a tether from the rescue spacecraft.

As the distressed space craft rolls up the tether from a spool, which is gently released so to be captured by the tumbling space craft, this tumbling space craft transfers rotational energy to the tether which is slowly (and carefully controlled) being drawn from its spool.

It needs to be controlled so the craft slows its rotational speed, without destroying/damaging the hull.

After this process, Astronauts can board the distressed craft and perform other rescue measures, perhaps preserving the remaining life support etc.

I haven't thought it much past this, but I want to write a more detailed memo and start publishing it and move NASA in this direction because it's current government roll is just failing to draw public attention and interest and therefore failing to draw in the big money.

Insurance would be bought by space adventure companies, tourism, hotels, whatever, mining companies even. And the insurance would be used to float investments to build a larger budget for NASA, which is supplemented partially by the tax payers as well.

I've never understood why NASA or other space agencies don't have a rocket ready to go in the event of a disaster in space. They should have astronauts on standby ready at a moments notice to blast off and rescue people.

MystikMushroom
I've never understood why NASA or other space agencies don't have a rocket ready to go in the event of a disaster in space. They should have astronauts on standby ready at a moments notice to blast off and rescue people.

After the Columbia disaster, the Space station was always the area of refuge for the shuttle if the shuttle was found to have been damaged on liftoff.

In fact, the last mission to service the Hubble telescope required two space shuttles on the pad at the same time, both ready to be launched. This is because the orbit required to reach the Hubble would have precluded that shuttle from seeking refuge at the space station (the orbit needed to reach the Hubble did not allow the shuttle to also reach the space station in case of emergency).

THEREFORE, when STS-125 and the shuttle "Atlantis" launched for that Hubble servicing mission, another shuttle, "Endeavour" (dubbed mission STS-400) sat waiting on an adjacent pad, ready if required.

Two Shuttles

Here's an article on that potential rescue mission (which was never required):

The STS-400 Shuttle Rescue Mission Scenario



Also, the space station always has on hand two "lifeboats" in the form of two Soyuz capsules docked to the station, waiting to return the crew to earth in case of an emergency. The Soyuz capsules are rotated out regularly, so the lifeboats always stay fresh (i.e., when a new Soyuz is launched to the space station, it is not always the same Soyuz that returns to Earth -- it becomes one of the new lifeboat emergency capsules, and the old lifeboat is what is used for the scheduled return trip to Earth).

Just two years ago, incoming debris forced the crew of the ISS to evacuate into the Soyuz capsules as a precaution -- although they did not need to undock and return. After the threat passed, they climbed back into the space station.

International Space Station crew forced to evacuate