NASA and ISRO said Tuesday they have shelved a plan for an Indian astronaut to fly to the International Space Station aboard a space shuttle.
Despite an agreement made last year during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Washington, which specified that ISRO would pay for the astronaut's training, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said at a news conference that he must restrict the number of remaining shuttle flights and limit crews and passengers only to those necessary either to fly the spacecraft or continue construction of the station.
Griffin is in India this week touring ISRO's facilities, including the satellite development center, launch vehicle production center and launch site.
NASA's current schedule calls for 17 more shuttle flights, Griffin told reporters, and no extra crew or passenger slots are available between now and 2010, when the shuttle fleet is scheduled for retirement.
"That being the case, ISRO has decided not to invest in training at this time, but wait for a later opportunity," he said.
G Madhavan Nair, ISRO's chairman, said his agency continues to study the possibility of mounting an independent crewed space mission, but he has not decided whether to pursue such a project.
"There are questions with reference to the capability of robotic missions accomplishing the set of objectives," Nair said. "We are going through a process of evaluation. It will take a year or so before we can arrive at a decision on whether we can have a manned mission at all. If such a requirement comes, we will definitely make use of the opportunity which will be available."
Meanwhile, Griffin said NASA will furnish two scientific instruments for India's Chandrayaan-1 robotic mission to the Moon, scheduled for launch in late 2007 or early 2008. He and Nair signed two memoranda of understanding regarding India's first lunar mission.
"It is my hope and belief that as we extend the reach of human civilization throughout the solar system, the United States and India will be partners on many more technically challenging and scientifically rewarding projects," Griffin said. "I very much look forward to the opportunity to see first hand India's impressive space facilities, to meet with your scientists and engineers and to learn more about your remarkable work."
For Chandrayaan-1, NASA will furnish a Moon Mineralogy Mapper, an instrument designed as part of NASA's Discovery Program to assess the Moon's mineral resources. A second NASA instrument, called Mini-SAR, will look for water ice that may be hidden in the permanent shadows of the Moon's polar craters.
Chandrayaan-1 also will carry five Indian instruments along with three developed by ESA and one from the Bulgarian Space Laboratory.
Griffin said both nations would ensure they do not "duplicate" their efforts and end up spending money on the same projects. "We are also looking at sharing of data for earth sciences and earth resources surfaces and broader scientific cooperation in exploring beyond the Earth," he said.
Nair said India had received 16 international proposals to participate in the lunar mission. "Of these we selected six instruments including two from the US," he said. "Today is an important milestone in the cooperation between NASA and ISRO."
