"China is set to launch the Shenzhou-22 spacecraft to its orbital space station on November 25, providing a vital lifeboat for its three stranded astronauts after they spent days with no guaranteed trip back to Earth in an emergency. The spacecraft will launch from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, the China Manned Space Agency said in a statement."
"And while they are apparently going about their work on the space station as usual, experts say scenarios like this one are dangerous and need to be better addressed. Technically the damaged spacecraft that remains docked at China's space station could have been used in an emergency, but that poses risks, especially because it remains unclear how much damage the craft suffered, says Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian."
China will launch Shenzhou-22 to the orbital space station on November 25 to serve as a lifeboat for three astronauts who lacked a guaranteed return after debris damaged Shenzhou-20. The launch will occur from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. After the Shenzhou-20 crew used Shenzhou-21 to return, the Shenzhou-21 crew remained with only the damaged Shenzhou-20 as a possible emergency return vehicle. The damaged spacecraft could technically be used in an emergency, but uncertainty about the extent of the damage poses risk. Jonathan McDowell emphasizes that using a potentially compromised capsule increases safety concerns.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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