Tim Peake could be last scientist to leave the International Space Station before it crashes into Pacific in ‘huge … – The Sun

Bosses at NASA and the ESA are drawing up plans on how to dispose of the floating research centre when its funding runs out in 2024 with the money used in an attempt to reach Mars

SCIENTISTS are planning to send the International Space Station off in a blaze of glory when they demolish it at some point in the next 10 years.

Funding for the floating research centre runs out in 2024 and NASA are hoping to dismantle it by sending it hurtling towards the Pacific Ocean in what should prove to be a spectacular fireworks display.

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The space centre is made up of massive sections for researchers to work and live in as well as fuel tanks and other components that should generate a massive series of fireballs when they re-enter the Earths atmosphere.

The denser air on Earth will cause huge friction with the objects which should burn up spectacularly as they are sent hurtling towards the sea.

Tim Peake, the British astronaut, could be among the space team that prepares the ISS for its fiery death as he is due to return to the station between 2021 and 2024, reported The Sunday Times.

The plans were revealed by Dr Ellen Stofan, NASAs chief scientist, who helped draw up the idea before leaving the agency in December last year.

She said: The future of the ISS is a big issue for NASA. The funding is there till 2024 but then it must start moving money to human Mars missions.

If we keep it fully funded after 2024 it will compromise the Mars budget and by 2028 it will start failing. It is huge, the size of an [American] football pitch, so the overall plan is to drop it into the Pacific.

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The 56-year-old will be describing the plans in more detail when she speaks at the Cheltenham science festival in Gloucestershire next month.

Another idea for the ISS is to dismantle some elements of it and bring them back to Earth while leaving the rest in space but this depends on what the Russian government thinks as they own several sections of it.

Alternatively, commercial flights could use the station from 2020 with Richard Branson and Elon Musk among the entrepreneurs trying to make space tourism a reality.

Additionally, Boeing is developing a next generation capsulecalled a Starliner which would be able to take people into low orbit space, including the ISS, from 2020.

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The building of the ISS began in 1998 when the first modules were launched into space and has been valuable in helping scientists understand more about surviving the health hazards of living in space which can include brain swelling, eye damage and skin problems.

One of the contributors to the ISS is the European Space Agency who pays approximately 300m a year into the project.

David Parker, director of human spaceflight and robotic exploration at the ESA, said: Our plan is to free up this money from the mid-2020s to explore beyond low earth orbit . . . that will eventually mean de-orbiting the ISS.

The south Pacific is the target and it will be a huge fireworks display.

To date 227 astronauts have lived on board the ISS and it weighs around 412 tons the largest-ever space structure.

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Tim Peake could be last scientist to leave the International Space Station before it crashes into Pacific in 'huge ... - The Sun