Ex NASA Astronaut Suggests Russia Must Disengage from ISS Due to Putin’s Political Provocation

Terry Virts, a former NASA astronaut and test pilot for the US Air Force, posted his opinion piece in The Hill stating that Russia must be disengaged from the International Space Station Partnership. He also suggested that Russia immediately limit its cooperation on the ISS to the absolute minimum required for the space station's safety.

(Photo: Norbert Kowalczyk/ Unsplash)
International Space Station

Terry Virts Suggests NASA Disengage With Roscosmos

Virts began his post by citing the partnership between Russia and US. He described that such a partnership had survived the trying times. He also said that the ISS served as the sole bright spot while the relationship between the two countries sank to its lowest levels since the Cold War. He pointed out that even though there was a conflict in Ukraine, the partnership continues to function.

Then he described that the head of the Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos), Dmitry Rogozin, had become unhinged in the pact. Virts reminded his readers of Rogozin's tweet, which was reposted by Loren Grush, the senior science reporter of The Verge.

"If you block cooperation with us, who will save the ISS from uncontrolled deorbiting and falling into the United States" via Twitter Translate https://t.co/OGfFdOewVu
— Loren Grush (@lorengrush) February 24, 2022

According to Rogozin's tweet, Roscosmos was making nuclear weapons that could be used against the US. He threatened to abandon the astronauts in space and to de-orbit the ISS so it could fall into US territory.

Virts was brave to describe in his post that the US partnered with Russia, which he called a terrorist state.

Virts suggested two guiding principles that would help the county to move forward without Russia in ISS. He said the US should start by removing Russia from the ISS cooperation. Second, the disengagement's impact on the US and other countries should be minimized.

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Terry Virts Suggests How NASA Could Disengage With Roscosmos

In preparation for the disengagement, Virts suggested that NASA prioritize developing its brand-new control module within a year to remove US reliance on Russian thrusters. He said that small rockets are necessary to maintain the ISS attitude control and keep it in the proper orbit.

Regarding limiting Russia's cooperation on the ISS, their crews should be limited in training in Houston and basic emergency procedure familiarization.

According to the former NASA Astronaut, the US should do the same. Another suggestion was that the Soyuz spacecraft should no longer be used for astronaut launches, and neither should SpaceX nor Boeing spacecraft be used for cosmonaut flights. The interaction between astronauts and Russian cosmonauts on the International Space Station should be restricted to operational requirements alone, and space crews should avoid conducting science experiments or assisting with maintenance on the other segment.

He said that the actions might sound draconian. But he knew it was not the ideal method to manage a space collaboration. However, he pointed out that Putin has crossed the line as well as his cosmonauts. It is impossible to continue collaborating with Russia when they use it as a propaganda tool to support the killing in Ukraine.

In early July, three cosmonauts were put into controversy when they raised the flag of the Luhansk People's Republic while boarding the ISS.