Rand Simberg lays out a plan for independent US access to space for American astronauts : Declare space independence from Russia: But Congress doesn’t seem to think the space program is important enough. – USA Today –
Astronauts are paid to risk their lives. They accept it as part of the job. We have invested decades and many tens of billions of dollars in a space station that we cannot currently get to without buying rides from an adversary in a renewed Cold War with temperature rising. If it were really important to end our dependence on them, you can bet that NASA would figure out a way to do it and quickly, by rapidly modifying a SpaceX Dragon like that currently at the ISS. And in fact, on the same day that Rogozin tweeted his threat, Elon Musk of SpaceX responded with his own: “Sounds like this might be a good time to unveil the new Dragon Mk 2 spaceship that @SpaceX has been working on w @NASA. No trampoline needed.” He announced that he will do so at the end of May.
But in its actions, Congress sends a clear message that it is not important. They could fix that, though, with a simple amendment to that bill when it gets to the House floor. Replace the word “safety” in that absurd phrase, and make it “having multiple means of getting Americans to orbit on American launch systems is the highest priority.” And tell Rogozin to get his own trampoline.
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More space policy/politics related links:
- SLS/Orion:
- Russian space:
- US vs Russia:
- As NASA seeks next mission, Russia holds the trump card | Adrift – Eric Berger/Houston Chronicle
- Ukraine crisis in space: US takes on the Russians, only this time it’s over the International Space Station – The Independent
- U.S.-Russia tensions on space concern lawmakers – The Clarion-Ledger
- Save the ISS – Houston Chronicle
- Defense space:
- House hearing on SETI:
Update: