When the International Space Station is decommissioned and plummets into the Pacific Ocean in 2031, Earth will be vulnerable to alien attacks, space boffins fear
The death of the International Space Station could leave Earth exposed to an ET invasion, boffins fear.
The 250-mile-high capsule – which orbits the planet 16 times-a-day – has been the frontline of Earth’s defences for a quarter of a century. It has allowed mankind to maintain a 24/7 presence in space since its 2000 launch – serving as a security lookout post for invaders from both above and on the planet below.
The station has also played a key role in the evolution of everything from satellites, robotics and life-saving drugs to memory foam and cordless tools like drills and vacuum cleaners.
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But the aging craft is past its shelf-life and will be gradually decommissioned before crashing into the Pacific Ocean in 2031.
Instead of replacing it, NASA plans to let private companies launch their own space stations.
Space agencies will then run shuttle missions to them when necessary rather than maintaining a constant presence in orbit. Experts fear the move will put Earth’s security at risk.
Dylan Taylor, chairman and chief executive of Voyager Space Holdings, said the station has helped produce “critical” security technology which had taken “decades to build”.
“There is no going back,’’ he warned.
“Space is more than just exploration. It’s the future of the global supply chain, clean manufacturing, medical advancements and most importantly – our collective security here on Earth.
“The political ramifications of abandoning permanent human presence in space are the most worrisome. Geopolitical competition in space is heating up.
“Space is, unfortunately, now a contested domain.’’
Taylor, 54, a commercial astronaut whose company specialises in space innovation, said the station’s demise will end politic-free cooperation between crews from 20 different nations – including the US and Russia – who worked together for the `betterment of humankind’.
It will also slow down future innovation.
He said the station has “touched every part of our lives” enabling the development of “new pharmaceuticals and medical devices”, “improved everyday technologies” and made commercial spaceflights “routine” to “push the boundaries of exploration”.
Companies use it to “record crucial information from space”.
As well creating a hole in Earth’s security, removing man’s permanent off-planet presence “would endanger crucial projects” and thwart microbiological, medical and plant growth research in microgravity – plus the development of “robotics technology”.
“That goes away,’’ he added.