Post by Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe on Dec 5, 2005 1:10:03 GMT -6
Russian Technologies Can Put Cosmonauts On Moon
"We could bring about a landing," said Nikolai Sevastyanov, president of the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation, "as early as 2012-2014 by using the technology of Soyuz-type spacecraft. If we had a $2 billion program, we could land on the Moon after mounting only three expeditions."
Moscow, Russia (SPX) Dec 02, 2005
Despite Russia's 30-fold disadvantage in financing its space effort as compared with America's, it has greater chances of being the first in reaching the Moon this time, or perhaps the Mars.
The paradox is that the Americans have put all their money in the transport system being developed by NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and its budgetary division.
According to an article in the influential newspaper "The Washington Post" of November 24, the American president's program of space research is having serious financial difficulties. Budgeted sums are just not enough.
Most of them have been spent on upgrading the space shuttle system and looking for causes of the Columbia disaster of February 1, 2003. Reports also say that the idea is mooted to abandon the shuttle program altogether and save money for lunar and Martian missions.
Full story here: www.spacedaily.com/news/lunar-05zzz.html
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I tend to concur. The Shuttle kept the American Manned Space program anchored and stagnated in low Earth orbit too long and needlessly.
On with it I say.