Does NASA Have Enough Astronauts to Complete Its Missions in ISS? Inspector General Gives Warning

There is some bad news for NASA's illustrious astronauts. The agency's Office of Investigator General warned there are not enough people to finish the missions in the International Space Station.

"After reaching its peak of nearly 150 astronauts in 2000, the size of the corps diminished with the end of Space Shuttle missions in 2011 and now stands at 44, one of the smallest cadres of astronauts in the past 20 years," stated the report.

However, NASA acknowledged that effective management of the astronaut corps is vital to the space agency's success. Astronauts, the inspector general added, are the face and voice of NASA's attempts to inspire the next generation of explorers, scientists, and engineers.

The recent development indicates that there may not be enough astronauts available for unforeseen attrition and crew reassignments or ground responsibilities such as program development, Astronaut Office leadership, and liaison posts such as serving as Agency spokesmen. This may result in inconvenient crew reorganizations and/or mission delays.

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(Photo: NASA/AFP via Getty Images)
The picture was taken on 20 July 1969 of astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., a lunar module pilot walking on the surface of the moon near the leg of the Lunar Module (ML) "Eagle" during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity (EVA).

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Many astronauts have just retired since there aren't enough new astronauts entering the space agency to replace them, Interesting Engineering said.

According to the report, the astronaut corps is also expected to shrink in 2022 and 2023. Its size will be exactly equivalent to the number of flight manifest seats NASA will require in 2022. However, NASA just released a new group of astronaut applicants, indicating that it may be on its way to efficiently operating its missions.

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However, by the time those new astronauts become eligible for flight assignments in 2024, Space News said NASA would be dealing with existing astronaut attrition and extra personnel for the Artemis missions.

NASA's use of a 15 percent "safety margin" in their estimation of the needed number of the astronaut corps to account for unanticipated attrition, medical concerns, and other variables is one cause contributing to the shortage. Prior to 2014, the safety margin was 25%, and the study said that "it is unclear why the margin changed owing to a lack of documentation."

Other issues include the possibility of higher attrition rates among the corps, particularly as the ISS approaches its end of life later in the decade. Astronauts serving in program development jobs are likewise in more demand.

Reports also pointed out a shifting skill set among astronauts may be required with the Artemis lunar missions. NASA's astronauts lack "complete demographic information," making it more difficult to assess how well the corps reflects the agency's diversity goals.

Another point raised in the paper is the need for lunar mission training. NASA has yet to name people for the Artemis 2 and 3 missions, which are set to launch in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Although such missions are still at least two years away, the assessment stated that NASA "may be overestimating the time available to create and implement the requisite training structure and regimen" for them. It was reported that mission training took up to five years early in the ISS program before being simplified to two years for current missions.