Re: Will Russians rule space?

From: The Chunky Monkey (Magilla_at_JustUsPrimates.org)
Date: 02/02/05 

Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 15:43:22 -0500

"BlackWater" <bw@barrk.net> wrote in message
news:42011ff3.26228965@news.east.earthlink.net...
> On Wed, 2 Feb 2005 16:44:07 +0000 (UTC), echomko_at_@polaris.umuc.edu
> (Eric Chomko) wrote:
>
>>The Chunky Monkey (Magilla@JustUsPrimates.org) wrote:
>>: Russians can't even rule a straight line on a piece of paper.
>>
>>Is that line written in pen or pencil? Those in the know know what I mean.
>
> I was gonna write down the answer ... but my megabuck
> 'space pen' quit working ...
>

That's cuz you bought the counterfeit made-in-China crap.

Get the real thing with the "made-in the-USA" on it. You can't go wrong.

>
>
>>: <stevejdufour@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>>: news:1106891691.501299.118520@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
>>: > Space Watch: The Russians are coming
>>: >
>>: >
>>: > By Robert Zimmerman
>>: > UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
>>: >
>>: >
>>: > Washington, DC, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- To judge the future by recent events,
>>: > one might think that by 2010 U.S. tourists will be flying to orbital
>>: > U.S. hotels on U.S. spacecraft, while at the same time the Bush
>>: > administration initiative to return humans to the moon will be
>>charging
>>: > forward at warp speed toward a 2015 return.
>>: >
>>: >
>>: > Think again. The future of space in the next decade could just as
>>: > easily be dominated by a resurgent Russian space industry, innovative
>>: > and efficient, with the ability to provide quality service to its
>>: > customers at a low cost.
>>: >
>>: > After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Russian space program
>>: > was the first business to face reality and shift gears, quickly
>>: > adopting capitalistic and market-oriented techniques for making a
>>: > profit.
>>: >
>>: > Almost immediately, advertisements plastered the walls of mission
>>: > control in Moscow as well as the sides of Russian rockets. Russian
>>: > cosmonauts taped commercials in orbit, and the space program sold
>>: > tickets to Mir to television stations, entertainment consortiums and
>>: > foreign governments -- including the United States. That effort
>>: > eventually produced paid flights to the International Space Station by
>>: > well-heeled tourists such as Dennis Tito.
>>: >
>>: > Because of an extremely favorable exchange rate leftover from their
>>: > failed communist economy, Russian labor costs were significantly lower
>>: > than those in the West, allowing them to charge significantly less
>>than
>>: > anyone else. Moreover, rocketry was one of the few Russian industries
>>: > with a good reputation for high quality standards.
>>: >
>>: > Russia's space program soon became by far the country's most
>>successful
>>: > export product. By 2000, it had grabbed a significant share of the
>>: > private commercial launch market with its Proton, Dnepr, Zenit and
>>: > Soyuz rockets, and by last year it was so successful its rockets
>>: > launched more than 45 percent of all spacecraft, more than any other
>>: > nation and 50 percent more than the U.S. market share.
>>: >
>>: > The future looks even brighter. Last week, Roskosmos, the Russian
>>space
>>: > agency, signed a long-term agreement with the European Space Agency to
>>: > allow Russia to establish Soyuz rocket-launch facilities at ESA's
>>: > spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Because Kourou is closer to the
>>: > equator than either Baikonur or Plesetsk -- the two launch pads from
>>: > which the Soyuz rocket family is presently fitted to fly -- it will
>>: > allow Soyuz nearly to double the payload it can lift to geosynchronous
>>: > orbit, from 1.7 tons to 3 tons.
>>: >
>>: > At the same time, the Russians continue to hold the whip hand in their
>>: > negotiations with NASA over shuttling crews and providing lifeboat
>>: > services to the space station. The next agreement between the two
>>: > nations likely will give the Russians even more opportunities to sell
>>: > tourist tickets each time they send a Soyuz to the ISS, a flexibility
>>: > that will also "increase launch orders for our space industry," noted
>>: > Roskosmos chief Anatolii Perminov at a news conference.
>>: >
>>: > With such encouraging business prospects, it is not surprising the
>>: > company that builds the Soyuz rocket family boosted its planned
>>: > production for 2005 by 50 percent -- from 10 rockets to 15. Moreover,
>>: > Roskosmos already has announced that, in the first three months of
>>2005
>>: > alone, seven Russian launches will put eight satellites in orbit, a
>>: > launch rate far exceeding anyone else's.
>>: >
>>: > Even as they are solidifying their domination in the launch industry
>>: > for both manned and unmanned missions, the Russian government seems
>>: > firmly committed to complete the Russian half of the space station by
>>: > 2011, with plans to launch a new laboratory module by 2007, a power
>>and
>>: > science platform by 2009 and a second laboratory module by 2011.
>>: >
>>: > The Russians also appear to be moving forward aggressively with their
>>: > next-generation manned spacecraft.
>>: >
>>: > Roskosmos first announced it was beginning work on this new vehicle,
>>: > dubbed Clipper, shortly after President George W. Bush unveiled his
>>: > space initiative on Jan. 14, 2004. In the year that followed -- while
>>: > NASA could barely write the first draft of its Request for Proposals
>>: > describing what it required for its shuttle replacement -- RSC
>>Energia,
>>: > the Russian space company, completed a preliminary design as well as a
>>: > full-scale model, unveiling it last Dec. 1.
>>: >
>>: > Not only is this six-seat manned spacecraft intended to be reusable,
>>: > but one design option also will have it land on a runway like the
>>space
>>: > shuttle. Furthermore, Energia officials said if funded they could have
>>: > it built and flying by 2010.
>>: >
>>: > Topping all this, a number of Russian government and industry
>>officials
>>: > have expressed guarded optimism their country will mount its own
>>effort
>>: > to send humans to Mars, sometime around 2015. Nor has this overview
>>: > mentioned pending launches in 2005 on Russian rockets of cutting-edge
>>: > solar-sail and space-mirror technologies.
>>: >
>>: > Obviously, it would be a mistake to assume the Russians have no
>>: > problems at all. For example, Clipper's funding situation remains
>>: > unclear. Though RSC Energia officials said they could complete a fleet
>>: > of four Clippers by 2010, the Russian government seems more inclined
>>to
>>: > stretch out its development until 2015. Moreover, unlike George Bush,
>>: > Russian President Vladimir Putin has made no commitment to any large
>>: > space effort, including sending Russians to Mars.
>>: >
>>: > Nonetheless, the Russian space industry's future appears rosy.
>>: >
>>: > What has been the U.S. reaction to all this? Consider the following
>>: > anecdote: Soon after Bush announced his space exploration vision last
>>: > year, NASA officials fanned out across the country, giving talks to
>>: > describe the technological challenges presented by this effort. At the
>>: > annual Goddard Symposium, held by the American Astronautical Society
>>in
>>: > late March 2004 in Beltsville, Md., one NASA engineer outlined the
>>need
>>: > to design closed environmental recycling systems for any spaceship
>>: > traveling to Mars.
>>: >
>>: > To illustrate what was already known, he described the systems used on
>>: > NASA's Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo capsules, as well as on the
>>shuttle,
>>: > Skylab, and the U.S. half of the ISS.
>>: >
>>: > Nowhere in his presentation, however, was there any mention of a
>>: > Russian system, even though since 1971 the Russians have built seven
>>: > successful space stations prior to the ISS with a remarkable track
>>: > record of efficient and practical atmospheric and water recycling
>>: > systems. When asked by this reporter why he had left the Russians out
>>: > of his presentation, he explained that he did not take their systems
>>: > very seriously. "We don't have faith in them," he said.
>>: >
>>: > To put it mildly, when it comes to space exploration, U.S. space
>>: > officials have developed the annoying habit of underestimating the
>>: > Russians. In 1957, the Soviet Union made no secret of its plans to put
>>: > a satellite in orbit as its contribution to the International
>>: > Geophysical Year, a worldwide research event organized by scientists
>>: > from July 1957 through December 1958. No one in the United States
>>: > government paid much attention, and so the nation was shocked when
>>: > Sputnik suddenly appeared in orbit on Oct. 4, 1957.
>>: >
>>: > Nothing, it seems, has changed in nearly 50 years. With all the talk
>>: > about space tourism and Bush's space exploration initiative, it
>>becomes
>>: > crucially important to recognize the competitive nature of nations,
>>and
>>: > how the United States is not the only country with a desire and skills
>>: > to colonize the solar system.
>>: >
>>: > So it might be prudent to consider the possibility that the first
>>: > humans to reach Mars might be speaking Russian -- not English -- when
>>: > they get there.
>>: >
>>: > --
>>: >
>>: > Robert Zimmerman is an independent space historian. His most recent
>>: > book, "Leaving Earth: Space Stations, Rival Superpowers, and the Quest
>>: > for Interplanetary Travel," was awarded the Eugene M. Emme Award by
>>the
>>: > American Astronautical Society for the best popular space history in
>>: > 2003. E-mail sciencemail@upi.com
>>: >
>>
>>
>

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