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Bush, Tito, Russia & Iran
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Posted by John Cserep () at 03:15 GMT on 30 Mar 2001
Something is going on that we don't understand yet. A number of people have stated that Bush let Goldin screw Tito because Bush and his team wanted to slam the Russians.
But at practically the same time, Bush gave the Russians a super boost by cancelling the US Hab module and crew rescue vehicle. This leaves ISS dependent on the Russians to supplant those functions; in effect, the Russians now have NASA over a barrel.
Either NASA pays the Russians more to provide extra living space and extra return vehicles (Soyuz), or it faces even worse options. Among those I've heard are: trying to use part of the Japanese module for living space; using part of the Lab module for living space; or using the SpaceHab Enterprise module for living space (but that requires Russian cooperation). Perhaps that remaining Mir core module could be launched and added as living space, too.
But for crew return vehicles, what else is there besides Soyuz? Only the option of limiting ISS crews to 3, forever.
In another twist, however, NASA is forbidden *by law* from buying anything more from the Russians unless the president can certify that our intelligence services have determined that Russia is NOT continuing to aid the Iranian effort to build ballistic missiles. Which they clearly are.
When Slick was president, all this meant was that he was required to tell one more lie, which didn't slow him down by a millisecond. But now that adults are running things again, Goldin isn't gonna have it so easy.
As _Aviation Week_ put it (3/19/01 issue), "Reports from Moscow put the value of the new Iranian business as high at $7 billion, far more than NASA's extra station work would ever amount to." So why shouldn't the Russians do as they please, and screw NASA?
What is Bush up to? How are the Russians going to exact their revenge? Dare I say it--Is it even possible that it's not too late to kill ISS?
Re: Bush, Tito, Russia & Iran Michael K. Heney (30 Mar 2001 16:23 GMT)
Re: Bush, Tito, Russia & Iran pat bahn (31 Mar 2001 23:24 GMT)
Re: Bush, Tito, Russia & Iran hoda rezaeian (05 Jan 2002 20:16 GMT)
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