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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Russia Ends Free Rides for U.S. Astronauts |
| 2004-12-29 |
| MOSCOW - Russia plans to stop giving American astronauts free rides on its spacecraft to the international space station beginning in 2006, the head of Russia's space agency said. Anatoly Perminov said the no-cost agreement between NASA and Russia's space agency Roskosmos could be replaced by a barter arrangement, according to the Interfax news agency on Tuesday. "There's no such thing as a free launch!" Russian Soyuz crew capsules and Progress cargo ships have been the sole link to the international space station since U.S. shuttles were grounded after the shuttle Columbia burned up on re-entry in February 2003. NASA said it plans to resume its shuttle program in May. The Russian agency has been looking to expand commercial ventures in recent years, amid dwindling government budgets for Roskosmos is also trying to renew its lucrative space tourism program. Perminov said two people were being considered to fly on a Russian spacecraft to the international space station, possibly in 2006. He did not identify them, but said neither was And effectively endangered all aboard, but who cares? Russia is also hoping to start commercial space launches from France's Kourou launch pad in French Guiana. Russia and the ESA reached agreement on a deal earlier this year and the launches could begin sometime in 2007. [arched eyebrow] "Fascinating." [/ae] |
| Posted by:Zenster |
| #5 Ummmmm, the Russ own most of the habitable parts of the ISS. :( |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-12-29 5:25:55 PM |
| #4 "Mr. Krasnoschenko? Yes, now that the shuttle is in operation again, the fare will be $125,000.00 per mile traveled, or three minutes, whichever comes first." |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-12-29 3:47:55 PM |
| #3 My suggestion would be to tell Putin that he can always crawl to the Chinese to help them get to their own space station in the future! I wonder how the Chicoms would react? |
| Posted by: smn 2004-12-29 3:36:05 PM |
| #2 "Corner of ISS and LEO, driver. And step on it." |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-12-29 12:08:34 PM |
| #1 Still pissed about Ukraine. And besides, the EU has been courting Putty. |
| Posted by: true nuff 2004-12-29 9:18:21 AM |