Following a presidential demand, NASA has been given a date of 2024 where funding will be cut and it may have to shut down its International Space Station (ISS). The ISS is used for research which is vital for the further exploration of deep space, specifically any manned missions to Mars. If the current 2024 cut-off date is maintained then research currently underway will be cut short, rendering the work useless, says a new NASA report. This will mean any manned missions to Mars could be more dangerous as less is known about the potential outcomes of prolonged human exposure to deep space. Studies that won’t be completed in time include research into motor functions and vision in zero gravity and how they degrade over time. Also cognitive and behavioural problems, long-term space-based life support and longer mission space suit studies will all be cut short. Of the 20 human health risk studies underway at least six won’t get completed in time before the ISS runs out of funding. There are 40 technology studies and at least four won’t be solved. On top of these, any delay will mean that a further 19 projects could be left uncompleted. The ISS currently costs about $3-$4 billion annually, roughly half NASA’s annual human spaceflight budget. While private funding could be an option to extend ISS support, China is launching a space station in 2022 which could attract lots of funding.
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