Manu
02-20-2002, 05:01 PM
Russia has no intention to build a successor to the Mir space station abandoned last year but may expand its role in the new international space station, the nation's space chief said Wednesday.
When Russia discarded the Mir after a 15-year career in orbit last March, some officials spoke about the prospect of launching its successor Mir-2. But Russian Aerospace Agency Director Yuri Koptev firmly ruled out the project as an "absurd" waste of money.
Koptev insisted that Russia must concentrate on developing the 16-nation international space station that has recently seen cutbacks with U.S. space agency NASA being forced to scale back its research and commercialization plans to avoid budget overruns.
The planned cuts would eliminate a U.S.-funded lifeboat for the space station and living quarters that would accommodate seven people instead of current crew of three.
The downsizing has caused concern among other participants in the project, who fear that would mean fewer seats for their astronauts and less opportunity to do research.
"Experts agree that a crew of three can't run the station as a scientific laboratory," Koptev said at a news conference.
Koptev has earlier suggested that Russia could provide new living quarters and lifeboat at a fraction of the original U.S. cost, and he reaffirmed Wednesday that Russia hopes for a greater role in the international space station -- perhaps even the leading role.
"The situation may evolve in such a way that Russia could acquire the leadership in the project," Koptev said.
In the past, it has been Russia that put the entire project behind schedule. The service module, which houses the crew, went into orbit in July 2000 after more than two years of delay caused by the Russian government's funding shortages.
Once the station became manned, Russia began pushing efforts to commercialize it by offering rides to space tourists. The first, California businessman Denis Tito, made an eight-day trip to the station last April and May for a reported $20 million. NASA strongly objected to Tito's flight, saying he would be a burden to the crew, but Koptev's agency got the upper hand.
U.S. and Russian space officials have since reached common ground on space tourists, and the next visitor, South African Internet tycoon Mark Shuttleworth, underwent both Russian and NASA training for his flight set for April. Russian officials have not released the contract sum, but Shuttleworth said he would pay roughly the same amount as Tito plus some extra for conducting scientific experiments.
Koptev said his agency is mulling over several tourist candidates to visit the station in October. "The earnings provide serious support for the industry, the cosmonauts' training center and mission control," he said.
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When Russia discarded the Mir after a 15-year career in orbit last March, some officials spoke about the prospect of launching its successor Mir-2. But Russian Aerospace Agency Director Yuri Koptev firmly ruled out the project as an "absurd" waste of money.
Koptev insisted that Russia must concentrate on developing the 16-nation international space station that has recently seen cutbacks with U.S. space agency NASA being forced to scale back its research and commercialization plans to avoid budget overruns.
The planned cuts would eliminate a U.S.-funded lifeboat for the space station and living quarters that would accommodate seven people instead of current crew of three.
The downsizing has caused concern among other participants in the project, who fear that would mean fewer seats for their astronauts and less opportunity to do research.
"Experts agree that a crew of three can't run the station as a scientific laboratory," Koptev said at a news conference.
Koptev has earlier suggested that Russia could provide new living quarters and lifeboat at a fraction of the original U.S. cost, and he reaffirmed Wednesday that Russia hopes for a greater role in the international space station -- perhaps even the leading role.
"The situation may evolve in such a way that Russia could acquire the leadership in the project," Koptev said.
In the past, it has been Russia that put the entire project behind schedule. The service module, which houses the crew, went into orbit in July 2000 after more than two years of delay caused by the Russian government's funding shortages.
Once the station became manned, Russia began pushing efforts to commercialize it by offering rides to space tourists. The first, California businessman Denis Tito, made an eight-day trip to the station last April and May for a reported $20 million. NASA strongly objected to Tito's flight, saying he would be a burden to the crew, but Koptev's agency got the upper hand.
U.S. and Russian space officials have since reached common ground on space tourists, and the next visitor, South African Internet tycoon Mark Shuttleworth, underwent both Russian and NASA training for his flight set for April. Russian officials have not released the contract sum, but Shuttleworth said he would pay roughly the same amount as Tito plus some extra for conducting scientific experiments.
Koptev said his agency is mulling over several tourist candidates to visit the station in October. "The earnings provide serious support for the industry, the cosmonauts' training center and mission control," he said.
www.cnn.com