Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin has lashed out again, this time at newly announced US ban on high-tech exports to Russia suggesting that "after analyzing the sanctions against our space industry, I propose the US delivers its astronauts to the ISS with a trampoline." Rogozin does actually have a point, although his threats carry much less weight than he may hope. Russia is due to get a $457.9 million payment for its services soon and few believe that Russia would actually give it up.
Furthermore, as Jeffrey Kluger noted at Time Magazine, Russia may not want to push the United States into the hands of SpaceX and Orbital Sciences, two private American companies that hope to be able to send passengers to the station soon. SpaceX and Orbital Sciences have already made successful unmanned resupply runs to the ISS and both are also working on upgrading their cargo vehicles to carry people. SpaceX is currently in the lead and expects to launch US astronauts, employed by SpaceX itself, into orbit by 2016. NASA is building its own heavy-lift rocket for carrying astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit, but it won't be ready for anything but test flights until after 2020. "That schedule, of course, could be accelerated considerably if Washington gave NASA the green light and the cash," says Kluger. "America's manned space program went from a standing start in 1961 to the surface of the moon in 1969-eight years from Al Shepard to Tranquility Base. The Soviet Union got us moving then. Perhaps Russia will do the same now."
(Score: 2) by frojack on Thursday May 01 2014, @12:59AM
SpaceX has their production ramped up to the degree that they could produce one new Dragon vehicle every 6 weeks, and are in the final testing of additional features for the crew vehicle (mostly safety features, pad abort rockets, etc.).
I suspect they could actually have a crew vehicle ready by the end of this year if necessary.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by frojack on Thursday May 01 2014, @01:06AM
Somewhat interesting (if not slightly off topic):
I meant to include a link to this interesting Jpeg [ggpht.com] of who made what parts of the ISS.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by pe1rxq on Thursday May 01 2014, @09:23AM
It is a bit misleading.
It lists Zarya as 'NASA-provided element integrated into the Russian segment'.
In reality the only thing NASA provided were dollars.
(Score: 1) by WillAdams on Thursday May 01 2014, @11:50AM
NIfty! Could we get an interactive SVG version?
I did that when making the diagrams for the Shapeoko and it helped a lot: http://docs.shapeoko.com/content/tPictures/PS20028 -100.svg [shapeoko.com]
(Score: 2) by mhajicek on Thursday May 01 2014, @01:56AM
Boeing is in the game too.
http://www.gizmag.com/cst-100-interior/31859/ [gizmag.com]
The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek