A Soyuz space rocket headed to the International Space Station with a NASA astronaut and Russian cosmonaut onboard had to make an emergency landing minutes after liftoff today.
Sean O’Keefe is a University Professor at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and former Administrator of NASA.
O’Keefe says:
“While the Soyuz has a solid record of successful launches, there have been occasional incidents with this long standing workhorse space transportation vehicle.
“I led NASA during one such incident just months after the Columbia tragedy and it was harrowing. Soyuz is a fairly standard, low complexity capsule spacecraft- think Apollo – but it is the only means left available on this planet to launch humans into space.
“We have been reliant on the Russians to transport American astronauts – and other International Space Station partners crew members – to that laboratory in space since the U.S. retired the shuttle in 2011. Meantime, we’re waiting for the NASA Orion spacecraft and the commercial SpaceX Falcon to provide alternative means to transport crew to the Station and beyond, but that’s still at least a couple of years away.
“This Soyuz incident serves as a reminder that even under the best circumstances, a launch is still a controlled explosion with humans aboard. That risk has been a big factor since the dawn of the space age and we haven’t yet conquered the technology limitations of other options yet.
“The world’s only access to space dodged a bullet today.”
To request interviews or get more information:
Daryl Lovell
Media Relations Manager
Division of Communications and Marketing
T 315.443.1184 M 315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu | @DarylLovell
820 Comstock Avenue, Suite 308, Syracuse, NY 13244
news.syr.edu | syracuse.edu
Syracuse University
This year’s midterm elections include a slate of candidates from diverse backgrounds – including those who served in the armed forces. According to With Honor.org, a group self-identified as “cross-partisan” that works to elect veterans, reports there are nearly 200…
Sears could only be a few days away from filing bankruptcy, according to recent reports. The parent company, Sears Holdings, faces an October 15 deadline to pay $134 million on its debt. Ray Wimer is an assistant professor of retail…
On Friday, the Neil Armstrong biopic “First Man” opens in theaters. The movie focuses on Armstrong’s life from 1961 to 1969, when he commanded Apollo 11 and took the first steps on the moon. Sean O’Keefe is a University Professor…
This week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report highlighting a number of climate change impacts that could be avoided by limiting global warming to 1.5ºC (34.7ºF) compared to 2ºC (35.6ºF) or more. Charles Driscoll, whose research focus…
With the FBI background investigation report now passed to the White House, a Senate vote could come as early as Friday on the future of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. His nomination has been under immense spotlight following reports of…
If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.
