NASA hits limits of space station utilization - SpaceNews

Speaking at a meeting of a National Academies committee working on the decadal survey for biological and physical sciences in space, Kirt Costello, NASA ISS chief scientist, said that the agency had reached the limits of its share of station resources to do research.

Costello said that is reflected in limitations in carrying large cargo in what are dubbed “Big Bags” larger than the standard cargo transfer bag, as well as “conditioned stowage” for materials like biological samples that require being kept in a freezer or cooler.

Cargo vehicles currently supporting the station don’t have room for more research payload, particularly those that require the bulky Big Bags or conditioned stowage.

“We are flying everything full,” he said, with the only question being whether a vehicle first reaches its maximum cargo volume or mass.

“We’re waiting on three new vehicles to be able to provide us that same crew and cargo servicing capabilities that we’ve seen over the last three and a half years.”

If NASA wants to increase utilization, he said the agency and its researchers will need to rethink their approaches.