Posted: Tue, Feb 11, 2003, 8:27 AM ET (1327 GMT)
Officials with NASA and Rosaviakosmos are studying options to keep the International Space Station occupied, including the possibility of operating the station with a reduced crew and the US purchase of additional Russian spacecraft. The Houston Chronicle reported Tuesday that officials are looking at three main options: leaving the current crew on the station until the shuttles return to service, using Russian Soyuz spacecraft to ferry crews to and from the station, and unmanning the station entirely. If the second option is selected, the ISS partners may decide to reduce the crew to a two-person "caretaker" staff that would maintain the station but have little, if any, time to perform research. If the station does remain occupied, NASA officials said there would always be at least one American on the station. Rosaviakosmos officials said Monday that the US has agreed to purchase an additional Progress cargo spacecraft to supply the station. Such a purchase would require a waiver of a US law that prohibits payments to Russia unless it shows it is not aiding in the development of missiles or other weapons in Iran.

Related Links:

•  Houston Chronicle article
•  Interfax article