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US to Pay to go to ISS

Posted by samzenpus on from the buy-a-pass dept.

forgotten_my_nick writes "According to BBC News, Russia has announced that it will no longer ferry US astronauts to space for free (It has been doing so for two years). From 2006 the US will be expected to pay."

2 of 636 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Repaid already? by Yorrike · · Score: 1, Flamebait
    No one is asking you to feel sorry for the Russians. They can't afford to keep putting US astronauts in space.

    The USA has put _far_ more into the ISS than any other nation.

    So what? Would you like us to throw you a fucking parade? If you're upset, talk to your government, they seem to be fine with throwing huge amounts of cash at the ISS.

    --

    Looks can be deceiving. Or CAN they?

  2. You're Right, for all the Wrong Reasons by thelizman · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    The US should realize that we can't count on other countries. For anything. Take Russia for instance. We underwrite their space program by funding their portion of the ISS. Then, we pay for their Cosmonaut training. We foot the bill for tracking, logistical support, and rescue standby everytime they drop a capsule back down on Siberia.

    Neither can we count on people like you to actually do your homework. What you fail to realise is that this is part of Russia putting the squeeze on to extort more money out of the US to build more spacecraft. Russia, meanwhile, is staring down the cash-spicket knowing it'll be shut off any second now because the Russian military can neither confirm nor deny it transferred missile technology to Iran.

    And make no mistake, it's not simply the hundreds of millions that are going into the Baikonur Cosmodrome, but the potentially billions more that will be lost on sales of RSV Energiya products and booster sales when the US embargoes Russian space products. So kick back and giggle with glee that someone else is trying to shaft the US, but before you bliss out on schadenfreude, you might want to get a clue. Russia isn't doing us a favor. They're stiffing us like an immigrant taxi driver.