Had dinner today with a long-time NASA Langley employee who made an interesting comment re Russia & Ukraine. It seems that Russia has clearly indicated that the availability and cost of future transport to the ISS will depend on the US response to what is happening in Ukraine.
Russia has made it clear that a reasonably tame US reaction is expected; anything else is likely to yield “unfortunate” results. They believe the US is not in a position to bear the consequences of offending Russia.
Predicated, of course, on the assumption that the current administration gives a particular shit about NASA.
Sure, threaten the astronauts. Stay classy Russia.
Putin is desperate, and sees the writing on the wall. Europe doesn’t feel comfortable with Russian oil, and the US is actively encouraging private manned space launch capability. The world just doesn’t need Russia, and by being dicks they’re just accelerating their own irrelevance.
Well, shit on a stick, we may as well just surrender now. //rolleyes//
I mean, really…banning us from the I.S.S.? Really???
Not banning exactly, but the price of launches to send astronauts up could become very expensive. Price of doing business , when you shut down your own operations and outsource.
Declan
Good thing there’s ESA’s Ariane and SpaceX’s Falcon.
I think you are a bit confused. Russia didn’t ‘threaten the astronauts.’
Obama isn’t doing a good thing…he screwed up on the Syria thing, and is trying to save face and thinking that Russia will not call his bluff. He is overestimating his own importance, and Russian patience with US adventuring.
(Makes note not to regard anything handsomeharry says in the future with any seriousness.)
Like there was a less screwed up alternative outcome…
Russia can not run the ISS without the US. Russia can not and will not ban us. Have you heard this on the NEWS or just a friend of friend?
I wonder how long it will take Musk’s Minions to bolt a set of seats in the Dragon?
Bigger problem is the Atlas V and Delta IV use their powerplants. I really doubt that the Delta IV is getting man-rated, who would want to go up in a booster that regularly sets it’s ass end on fire?
(Makes note to weep uncontrollably.)
Well, I was thinking that minding one’s own business as a nation was a pretty good one…
Well, collectively we were the dumbf***s who gave up our manned launch capability by retiring the shuttle without a replacement. This sort of ultimatum was virtually inevitable.
And what makes you think that Russia can’t run a space station without the US? Are you serious? Have you ever heard of Mir?
We were stupid enough to give up our ability to get people up and down from orbit on our own. We’re reaping what we sowed. American dominance in space is a thing of the past due to our government’s shortsightedness and penny-wise-pound-foolish approach to budgeting and planning.
The only thing I find amazing is that anyone is surprised by this.
They don’t have the money.
Well, the recent Mars rover Curiosity landing was a huge success the Russians can only dream about. The US Air Force also has the X-37B up setting endurance records. I’d say the US is still dominant in space. Sucks we don’t have manned space flight capability but hopefully soon private space firms will be able to handle that.
Who knew Russia was going to go all Cold War invasion?
I am pretty sure the U.S. withdrew from a couple of research/scientific projects as part of the “sanctions” so this isn’t like the Russians are doing this out of the blue.
Russia needs to think long-term though. They can jack up their prices right now, just like they’re jacking up fuel prices to Ukraine, but that’s very short-term. Soon US space launch firms will bring the cost of launches down below Russian prices and then what are they going to do? Payback is a bitch, isn’t it? We’re not going to forget the price gouging.
The US remains the most powerful nation on Earth.
It’s difficult to “overestimate” that.
Russia, on the other hand, now has a smaller population than the US and that population experiences a lower life expectancy. Coupled with the fact resources are now Russia major export (not a sustainable model for a major world power) it is difficult to overestimate Russia’s capabilities to do very much beyond its own borders and those of its non-NATO neighbors.
Anyway, so Russia might charge more to allow US astronauts to go to the I.S.S. Technically the US could build its own space station or simply restart its own manned space program at any time. This would cut the Russians out of the picture and cost them desperately needed foreign currency.
Or the US could simply pay the extra amount and laugh at Russia’s pathetic attempts to remain relevant.
Not seeing a major issue in this for the US.