News - Russia to Conduct First Flight to Moon in 2011-2012

Russia to Conduct First Flight to Moon in 2011-2012

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/08/31/moonmission.shtml

Created: 31.08.2006 16:47 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 17:09 MSK

MosNews

Russia plans to conduct its first manned flight around the Moon in
2011-2012, the president of a leading spacecraft company said Thursday,
RIA Novosti news agency reports.

"The Energia Rocket and Space Corporation plans to explore the Moon
in three stages: a Soyuz spacecraft flight to the Moon, the
construction of a permanent base on the Moon (from 2010 to 2025), and
the industrial exploration of space around the Moon," Nikolai
Sevastyanov said at the 5th Airspace Congress in Moscow.

He went on to say that the main goals of the lunar exploration would be
to conduct astrophysical research of its surface, to transfer
environmentally unfriendly industries from the Earth to the Moon, and
to extract raw materials, including helium-3, to meet the increasing
energy demand on the Earth.

Helium-3 is a rare metal on Earth, but is abundant on the Moon, and is
used in nuclear power reactors and is a conductor as well. It is also
used in microchip and related technologies.

For the flight, Russia is planning to use a modernized version of the
Soyuz manned spacecraft, the workforce of the Russian space fleet,
Sevastyanov said, adding that the first spacecraft would be ready in
2010.

The United States is the only country to have put astronauts on the
Moon. Neil Armstrong was the first in1969 and five other missions
followed him until the lunar program was wrapped up in 1972.

"Energia has started the development of a modernized Soyuz
spacecraft," Sevastyanov said.

"New digital technologies will be used during the development and
operation of the new spacecraft. Besides, the new space vehicle will be
able to conduct flights not only to the International Space Station,
but also to the Moon."

Sevastyanov continued, saying the Russian Space Agency and the European
Space Agency had already expressed their support for the project and
the first modernized Soyuz would be launched in 2010.

The Energia president said the launches would be conducted both from
the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan and the Kourou launch site in
French Guiana.

He added that the first flight to Mars would be conducted after 2025.
The expedition will use the Russian-made Clipper shuttle with a
four-man crew and will last two-and-a-half years.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Forty Three Years Ago Today
    ... weren't in a competition with the Soviets, ... competition with Russia the moment Sputnik 1 was launched right up until ... Apollo 11 landed on the moon. ...
    (rec.music.artists.springsteen)
  • Russia to Conduct First Flight to Moon in 2011-2012
    ... Russia to Conduct First Flight to Moon in 2011-2012 ... 2011-2012, the president of a leading spacecraft company said Thursday, RIA ...
    (soc.culture.russian)
  • Re: Is NASA a US "Defence Agency"?
    ... Return to the Moon ... how come W can't piggy-back off his dad's orginal plan? ... And all either Russia or China has to do to thwart ANY attempt we may ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: Forty Three Years Ago Today
    ... going to the moon would have occurred with or without the Soviets. ... weren't in a competition with the Soviets, ... with Russia the moment Sputnik 1 was launched right up until Apollo 11 ... the same time as Apollo 11 was in the hopes their spacecraft could land on ...
    (rec.music.artists.springsteen)
  • Re: Cosmic radiation could thwart space colonization
    ... unlikely to get to Mars or even back to the moon until better ways are ... When it comes to shielding astronauts from radiation, spacecraft ...
    (sci.space.policy)