NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, who is being considered as a candidate for Vice President Kamala Harris, may stand in for the International Space Station (ISS). Kelly was one of the people who built the ISS – in 2001, the astronaut helped connect Europe’s Raffaello module to the ISS. He’s also been to the orbital outpost many times, so it’s more than just a flying lab in space to him.
Forbes points out that although Kelly hasn’t yet commented on NASA’s plans to destroy the station in 2030, his close ties may support the Save Our Station movement against the decision. The space agency is under the vice president, so Kelly can influence the situation to keep the station. This could be a chance for the lab to continue to exist as a symbol of peaceful cooperation, instead of simply destroying it by dumping it on Earth.
Last month, former NASA administrator Michael Griffin and Jean-Jacques Dordain, former director general of the European Space Agency, published a letter calling for the ISS orbit to be raised to prevent it from falling into the Pacific Ocean. In June, NASA contracted with SpaceX to develop a spacecraft to destroy the station, ending decades of peaceful cooperation.
Kelly could use his political influence as a potential vice president to support a movement to try to dissuade space leaders from destroying the station.
“I love the idea that we might have an astronaut as VP. As an astronaut he will have a visceral understanding of how important it is,” venture capitalist Rick Tumlinson, who leads the Save Our Station movement, commented to Forbes.
According to Tumlinson, Mark Kelly’s extensive experience would make him an ideal leader of the National Space Council, giving him the ability to counter NASA’s plans to destroy the ISS.
Kelly spent more than 54 days in space during four Space Shuttle missions from 2001 to 2011. In 2015, his twin brother Scott, also an astronaut, even broke the American record for the number of days spent in space. It is worth noting that this record was broken last year by Frank Rubio.
Although we can only speculate as to Kelly’s position on these plans. His presence in the White House could have serious consequences for the future of the ISS.
Earlier we reported on how Mark Kelly visited the place of training of Ukrainian pilots.
