Next shuttle crew will have rescue backup

The Houston Chronicle and AP are reporting that NASA is planning to have space shuttle Atlantis available for a hastened launch preparation in case the Discovery crew are stranded in orbit.

Space shuttle Discovery is scheduled for a launch in May.

A rescue mission would be unprecedented in space history. There has never been an in-flight rescue of astronauts in earth orbit.

The U.S. space program made serious plans for a rescue capability at least as far back as the Apollo program.

The Skylab program had a rescue capability in place, with at least one crew and spacecraft available, and the plan was almost implemented in August 1973. When NASA feared the Skylab 3 crew was in danger of being stranded in orbit because of an oxidizer leak, a rescue mission was days away from the launch pad. A rescue launch was scrubbed when NASA judged that the leaks did not pose an immediate threat to the Skylab crew.