>> The U.S. government must now decide whether it will overlook Russia's
>> skirmishes with Georgia
>>
>>
>> Even though Russia and Georgia have officially signed a cease-fire
>> agreement, the volatile situation between the two nations could
>> jeopardize
>> whether or not NASA astronauts fly to the International Space Station
>> aboard
>> Russian spacecraft in the future, U.S. officials warn.
>>
>> NASA will be forced to rely on Russian spacecraft to ferry astronauts to
>> and
>> from the ISS on the Soyuz spacecraft and transport supplies from Earth to
>> the space station once the shuttle is retired in 2010. The
>> next-generation
>> Orion spacecraft is not expected to be done until 2015, at the earliest,
>> NASA previously said.
>>
>> "The new challenge we have is that for approximately five years, the
>> plan -
>> which is a very bad plan but is the only plan that NASA and the
>> administration and Congress have approved - is to be dependent on the
>> Russian Soyuz vehicle to get people to and from the international space
>> station," said Tom Feeney, (R-FL). "And so now, with the political
>> realities with Russia invading Georgia, we have a new wrinkle thrown in."
>>
>> Furthermore, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D, FL) also said the situation
>> between Russia and Georgia could greatly impact the space cooperation
>> between the United States and Russia. Without the use of Russian
>> spacecraft
>> after the shuttle is retired, NASA astronauts will be unable to get to
>> the
>> ISS to help finish its construction.
>>
>> Nelson also pointed out that a U.S. law signed in 2000 directly prohibits
>> the government from entering contracts with any nation that gave
>> assistance
>> to North Korea and/or Iran with any nuclear programs -- Russia has helped
>> the nations with their nuclear programs. Congress must now either
>> reauthorize the waiver so a transportation agreement can be made, or will
>> uphold the 2000 law and not work with Russia.
>>
>> So far, the House Foreign Affairs Committee has supported the waiver,
>> though
>> it must now pass the House, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and
>> Senate.
>>
>> The French-brokered cease-fire that has been signed by Russian President
>> Dmitry Medvedev and Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvili forces both
>> sides to return their troops to their original locations prior to the
>> skirmishes. But even with an agreement in place, tensions between the
>> United States and Russia, the two largest contributors to the ISS, remain
>> high.
>>
>> The U.S. government must now try and determine whether or not it will
>> move
>> forward and pay millions to the Russian government for ferrying
>> astronauts
>> into space, or delay the looming retirement of the space shuttle fleet a
>> few
>> more years.
>>
>>
http://www.dailytech.com/US++RussiaGeorgia+Conflict+Could+Hurt+US+Space+Program/article12680...
