The American space agency is concerned about whether its number of astronauts is sufficient. With its continued presence on the ISS and future missions to the Moon and Mars, the current number seems low.
Are there enough astronauts at NASA? The space agency is concerned about the situation, as shown in a report dated January 11, 2022, titled ” NASA’s management of its astronaut corps » (« Nasa’s management of its astronaut corps ), spotted by Digital Trends on January 16.
“One of the smallest numbers of astronauts in the last 20 years”
” As NASA enters a new era of human spaceflight, including returning to the Moon and possibly landing humans on Mars, effective management of its astronaut corps […] is essential for the success of the agency “, can we read by way of introduction. However, explains the space agency, its group of astronauts reached a peak in 2000, with 150 members. Since, ” body size [d’astronautes] dwindled with the end of the Space Shuttle missions in 2011 and now numbers 44, one of the smallest numbers of astronauts in the past 20 years “, specifies the document.
At the same time, NASA has many ambitions for its astronauts: not only does it want to maintain its presence in Earth orbit (on board the International Space Station), but it also aims further into space, in particular with its Artemis program and the planet Mars.
Currently, NASA believes that its way of training, training and assigning astronauts to missions is mainly adapted to its needs in the ISS. The agency has organized to have enough astronauts for its flights, with teams of 3 to 4 astronauts sent to the station, for the next 5 years. Nevertheless, the document recalls that for the years 2022 and 2023, NASA would run the risk of running out of recruits, according to an analysis carried out several years earlier. This is also why 10 new candidates were selected at the end of 2021.
Additional flights, in addition to those of the ISS crews, will be expected in the coming years – and we must also consider the unforeseen, which may require replacing astronauts on certain missions. While NASA anticipates that spaceflight will definitely be on the rise with its Artemis program, it could be in trouble if its astronaut corps isn’t larger in the future. Crew reorganizations could cause mission delays which are obviously not considered desirable.
The report ends with several recommendations for NASA to change the situation. In particular, it is proposed to reassess whether the safety margin currently used, which represents 15% of the minimum number of astronauts, should be revised upwards.