Decision on Additional Space Shuttle Flight Expected By Month’s End

Image above: Space shuttle Atlantis with it crew of six astronauts lifts off from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/TV

It looks like NASA is moving toward deciding whether to add an additional space shuttle flight to the remaining pair that it will fly to the International Space Station. The extra flight would be conducted next June by the space shuttle Atlantis. Florida Today reports:

An extra shuttle mission would help NASA get more supplies to the space station, and hedge against any delay in commercial cargo deliveries to the outpost. It also would slow down the layoffs at Kennedy Space Center, keeping thousands on the job through the end of another school year.

But it carries some risk. There would be no backup shuttle ready to rescue the crew if they ran into trouble.

And adding one more station supply run doesn’t come cheap. NASA officials put the cost at anywhere between $600 million to $1 billion.

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