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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Russia To Assist Brazil With Rebuilding Launch Site

From Spacedaily.com:

Moscow (SPX) May 06, 2005
Russian launch specialists will assist Brazil in rebuilding a launch site at Alcantara space center RIA Novosti reported last Thursday.

According to a Roscosmos press release the visit of the Roscosmos delegation to Brazil, deputy director of the Russian Federal Space Agency Viktor Remishevsky conducted talks with president of the Brazilian Space Agency Sergio Gaudenzi.

The sides discussed the issues of Russian assistance to Brazil in modernization and launch of Brazilian VLS-1 rocket and the launch of a Brazilian communications satellite.

In addition, Russia will help Brazil to train and launch in 2006 a Brazilian cosmonaut to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of a crew of a Russian space vehicle.

Russian and Brazilian sides work in the framework of the Memorandum of understanding between Roscosmos and the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology on cooperation in the sphere of space exploration.

The Memorandum was signed on November 23, 2004 by Roscosmos director Anatoly Perminov and Brazilian Minister of Science and Technology Eduardo Campos.


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It say's "rebuild", hell...I didn't know there was one before!...

Hmmm, Russians with an interest in the Western hemisphere...doesn't this come close to violating the Monroe Doctrine?

[Maddad]

Juan Valdez in Orbit... Whatsamatter? Did that burro kick him in the backside when he was bent over picking coffee beans?

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Only the best coffee beans are hand picked just...when they ripen, under the hot blazing Brazilian sun, always smiling, for $1.00 a day in wages.

Perhaps Juan has found a better way...

[starbux]

Chicago said:

Hmmm, Russians with an interest in the Western hemisphere...doesn't this come close to violating the Monroe Doctrine?

The Monroe Doctrine is obsolete, except for politicians who invoke it for their own convenience. If we followed the spirit of the doctine we would keep to our own hemisphere as we would expect others to keep to theirs. We are now all over the globe, both commercially and militarily. Invoking the Monroe Doctine nowadays is to impose a double-standard on the rest of the world.

BTW wasn't the Monroe Doctrine primarily directed at Great Britain when it was conceived? Guess we should have sided with Argentina against Britain over the Falkland (or is it Malvinas?) Islands War.

Oh and let's not forget France/ESA' s use of a launching area (French Guyana) in our hemisphere. Should we object to them as well?