ISS Could Be Evacuated If Supplies Run Dry

Russia's rocket problems could leave space unmanned for the first time in more than a decade.

If Russia can't get its act together and start launching rockets again, the International Space Station might have to be evacuated come November as the supplies (and sanity, we imagine) of the six astronauts aboard begin to dwindle. Last week, an unmanned Russian rocket carrying three tons of supplies to the ISS blew up shortly after take-off, forcing officials to delay the next manned Soyuz mission to the station. Originally scheduled for September, that mission has been pushed back to late October or November, but if there are any more delays, the six astronauts – three Russians, two Americans, and one from Japan – could be forced to abandon the station and head back for terra firma. That would mark the first time the ISS would have gone unmanned in its 12-year history, and would cast doubt over any future missions to the station.