Russia signs a $306 million deal with NASA to ferry astronauts to space station

[Killer]

MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian space agency says it has signed a $306 million deal with NASA to ferry its astronauts to the international space station in 2012.

Roscosmos said Friday the agreement covers four launches aboard the three-person Soyuz capsules to swap out crews in the orbiting laboratory

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-eu-russia-us-space,1,2543721.story

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Russia to charge NASA $51 million per space flight

http://snsimages.tribune.com/media/photo/2009-05/47192164.jpg

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia will charge U.S. astronauts $51 million per return trip to the International Space Station (ISS) from 2012 and will resume selling seats to space tourists, Russian news agencies reported on Wednesday.

NASA needs to use the Russian Soyuz capsule because its own Space Shuttle will be retired next year after nearly 3 decades in service and a replacement is not due until 2014 at the earliest.

Russia's own plans for a new spacecraft are running behind schedule, with the planned unveiling of a mock-up now delayed by a year to 2010, Interfax quoted Anatoly Perminov head of Russian space agency Roskosmos as saying.

"We've agreed with our American partners the sum of $51m, starting in 2012," Perminov was quoted as saying by Itar-Tass news agency.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090513/sc_nm/us_space_russia_usa

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We are now reduced to taking the greyhound bus to the stars.

[revefsreleets]

Wasn't this the plot of "2012: A Space Odyssey"?

I MAY thinking a porno I saw once...I always get these things confused.

Seriously, this should save a whole buttload of cash for NASA though, right?

[Killer]

Q. How much does it cost to launch a Space Shuttle?

A. The average cost to launch a Space Shuttle is about $450 million per mission.

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/about/information/shuttle_faq.html#10



We got a deal.

[MasterOfPuppets]

if i remember right, didn't that first tourist only fork out 20 mill, for the space ride ? :scratchchin: ..... but anywho, why would they "retire" the shuttles BEFORE the replacements are available ? i need a new car, but i'm not going to get rid of the one i got till i get the new one.....:noidea:

[Killer]

meh

I just look at the purty pictures - we need more and bigger telescopes in space, not humans rattling around in tin cans in low-earth orbits.

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0905/M106_KC_c800.jpg

Call me when they get the star drive going.

[SteelersinCA]

if i remember right, didn't that first tourist only fork out 20 mill, for the space ride ? :scratchchin: ..... but anywho, why would they "retire" the shuttles BEFORE the replacements are available ? i need a new car, but i'm not going to get rid of the one i got till i get the new one.....:noidea:

I think it's because both GWB and Obama decided they were getting too expensive and were not going to fund them until the Orion was ready.

[MasterOfPuppets]

I think it's because both GWB and Obama decided they were getting too expensive and were not going to fund them until the Orion was ready.so designing and building a whole new ride will be cheaper ? :doh: look at the generic SOB lookin thing russia uses.... looks like the one i built in the 7th grade...:chuckle: the chute didn't deploy on re-entry and it disentegrated on impact.....i was out 7 bucks... and my rocket scientist carrear ended because of lack of funding...:shake02:

[Killer]

The Russians do land their returning capsule astronauts on the ground instead of the sea.

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20090513/i/r3631506357.jpg?

Should be a new experience.

[Killer]

Wasn't this the plot of "2012: A Space Odyssey"?

I MAY thinking a porno I saw once...I always get these things confused.



Russian chicks in space - I bet they could make some money. If I was still running the syndicate we would be getting some of that.

They want to turn space into Disney trips for the highest bidder.

Who's the ho's now?





2010

Tanya Kirbuk: Tell me, Dr. Floyd, what has happened to American bravery?

Dr. Heywood Floyd: [testy] It's alive and well, thank you. What happened to Russian common sense?

[SteelersinCA]

so designing and building a whole new ride will be cheaper ? :doh: look at the generic SOB lookin thing russia uses.... looks like the one i built in the 7th grade...:chuckle: the chute didn't deploy on re-entry and it disentegrated on impact.....i was out 7 bucks... and my rocket scientist carrear ended because of lack of funding...:shake02:

Well they had to build a whole new ride to continue going to space. The shuttle was designed to only last so long. That's a sunk cost, but the cost of continuing to maintain the Shuttle well past her time and up to the Orion was something they were no longer willing to fund.

[Killer]

The downside to all this cooperation is that Russian city girls are getting jaded.

You have to go to the countryside to find a good 'meat and potatoes' Russian bride these days.