Posted on 09/22/2005 8:56:22 AM PDT by Dan Evans
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate approved Sept. 21 a bill that would clear the way for NASA to buy the Russian Soyuz vehicles it needs to continue to occupy the International Space Station beyond this year.
The bill was introduced Sept. 15 by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) to provide temporary relief from provisions in the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000 that bar U.S. purchases of Russian human spaceflight hardware as long as Russia continues to help Iran in its pursuit of nuclear know-how and advanced weapons technology.
Lugar’s bill, S. 1713, changes the law to permit NASA to buy any Russian space hardware or services it needs for the International Space Station program until 2012.
The bill was approved the morning of Sept. 21 by unanimous consent, a Senate procedure that allows non-controversial legislation to bypass a floor vote.
The U.S. House of Representatives also is considering amending the Iran Nonproliferation Act to permit NASA to buy Soyuz vehicles, but it has yet to take any legislative action.
The House could either pick up and pass the Senate’s bill or introduce a bill of its own that would have to be reconciled with the Senate version before becoming law.
Without relief from the Iran act, NASA could soon find itself unable to send its astronauts to the space station for extended stays. A Soyuz capsule set to carry a new two-person crew – and one space tourist – to the station Sept. 30 is the last one Russia is obligated to provide at no charge to the United States under a bilateral agreement.
NASA and the U.S. State Department formally asked Congress in June to amend the Iran act to permit the United States to make use of Russian space technology in its space exploration plans.
Isn't that what NASA has been doing for the last fifty years? Bell, Martin Marrietta, North American Rockwell, etc.
You are much too cynical. Bill Gates has spent billions on a cure for malaria. Where is the payoff? The jerks who are only interested in the bottom line get all the press but there are a lot of private foundations who spend a lot of money on worthwhile but non-profit endeavors.
That's even more embarrassing.
/sarc
I didn't know that. It gets worse and worser.
The problem is, government calls the shots and decides what is to be built. If they say "build a white elephant", the private sector will build the best white elephant money can buy.
The other problem is that, more and more, the government sets all kinds of conditions for contractors. They have to employ the correct percentage of women and minorities, they have to be sensitive to environmental correctness. And all of these things adversely affect safety.
Why not get our private sector involved? Surely they could do a better job.
Add another: Dolgov (sp?), killed during ejection seat testing early in the Vostok program. Vostok capsule was dropped from a bomber with the purpose of testing the ejection seat.
Get private property rights in outer space. Then the private sector will be interested.
That would certainly give new meaning to the Miss Universe contest ...
bump for later
That's right. It would indeed.
Petr Dolgov died during the long jump (28.6 km), from the baloon named VOLGA. It happen on first on November 1962. His glass face mask (Sorry for terminology - I dont know the exact words in english) was broken. HE WAS NOT A COSMONAUT. BTW, his partner - Evgeniy Andreev survived this jump.
Thanks. I stand corrected.
If I were you I'd go take a look at St. Pietrsberg before making such nonsensical statements.
Guess Hubble is done for if that happens. :-(
What the hell is wrong with Lugar? The restriction was orgininally put into law to punish the Russians for their support of Iranian atomic developemnt. Last week Iran thumbed their nose at the world, and Russia was right there to sign them up for additional atomic work. President Bush ought to veto this bill based upon national security. Oddly, some Russians are assisting the Moslems to develop the nuke. Seems they haven't learned one thing from the continual conflict in Chechtyna.
It's sad that they are doing away with Hubble. I hate to see it go.
FWIW, the work I have done with NASA, most of the line engineers are reasonably competent. Trouble is, they start up the ladder and become bean counters more than engineers. That happens in the private sector, too, but in the public sector you are further hobbled by bureaucracy and politics. Long-term planning becomes mostly a meaningless exercise when your timeline is a two-year horizon. Then again, the private sector can have much shorter time horizons, such as the next quarterly report.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.