Its The End of the World as We Know it

30 December 2004: Analysis: U.S.-Russia teamwork unraveling, UPI

“Therefore, Perminov’s announcement should not be seen simply as a reflex of financial pressures on Russia’s space program. It is, rather, a red light warning that the long era of easygoing U.S.-Russian cooperation in space is rapidly coming to an end. And that could be the harbinger of far worse problems to come.”

Editor’s note:The author of this article, Martin Sieff, has clearly not been keeping tabs on the U.S./Russian space relationship over the past decade. Such statements and posturing by the Russians are a regular feature of that relationship and often serve as a preamble or opening salvo for discussions wherein issues are usually resolved to the satisfaction of both sides. Also, I find it odd that this author could delve into the topic of who pays for what (and why) and not mention the Iran Nonproliferation Act, which constrains what the U.S. can and cannot do, and the huge sum of money that was paid by the U.S. to keep Mir going for a number of years in the mid 1990s. Despite the gloomy scenario painted in this article, things are not as bad as Mr. Sieff suggests (at least not yet). As far as human spaceflight – and the ISS – goes, for the at least the next decade, Russia needs the U.S. just as much as the U.S. needs Russia.