Briton poised for space trek after colleague falls ill
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.As troubles on the Mir space station go from bad to worse, there is now a real possibility that the British astronaut Michael Foale (right) will be asked to embark on a hazardous repair mission into a module damaged in last month's crash with a cargo ship.
Russian officials have asked Nasa whether it will allow the 40-year-old astrophysicist to take the place on the mission of Mir's commander, Vasily Tsibliyev, who has been complaining of heart problems, tiredness, and overwork.
The switch would mean a significant change of plan; during the operation, Dr Foale was to have manned a Soyuz escape capsule, which will be ready to launch an emergency getaway. However, Nasa said that he was fully trained to stand in for the Russian cosmonaut. "If it's necessary, we can do this," said a spokesman.
The sortie, which was yesterday postponed for up to 10 days because of the Russian's ailment, requires two of the crew to enter the dark, airless, freezing and cramped Spektr module, which was punctured during the collision, the worst accident in Mir's 11-year history.
The crew has been preparing for the space trek by studying mock-ups at mission control, but their task is further complicated by uncertainty over what may be floating around inside Spektr, whose contents include laboratory equipment. There has been concern that chemicals may have escaped from their containers and may damage the cosmonauts' equipment.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments