Space junk, severe illness and mistaken commands from mission control can all lead to disaster on ISS.
According to a report there is 55% chance that the ISS is hit by space debris and a 9% chance of catastrophic result over a 10-year period.
NASA has also stated that these risks can be reduced to 29% and 5% respectively by implementing changes that are available.
The biggest problem is the lack of money. There is also a planned shutdown of the shuttle program in 2010 according to a report.
If these threats are not covered effectively then NASA might have to abandon the ISS before NASA can complete their research objectives.
NASA also has mentioned in a report to the Congress that space station has the biggest threat from space debris. In space particles travel at such high speeds that even a small rock can blast a hole in the space station and if the hole is big enough or in a wrong place then the results can be disastrous.
NASA needs to add some more shielding to the ISS to reduce the risk involved.
Sickness is another risk. If astronauts aboard the ISS feel sick then they have to be returned to Earth for medical care. This means the ISS has to be temporarily abandoned.
Some other risk factors are:
• An on-board fire
• A toxic spill
• A catastrophic system failure
• A hardware design flaw
• The loss of a crew member during spacewalk
• A collision by a visiting vehicle or robotic arm
Via: stuff
