What Impact Will A Ukraine Invasion Have on U.S./Russia Space Efforts?
International Space Station ‘largely isolated’ from tensions over Ukraine, AP
“It’s possible to imagine a break with Russia that would endanger the space station, but that would be at the level of a dropping diplomatic relations,” said Pace. “That would be something that would be an utterly last resort so I don’t really see that happening unless there is a wider military confrontation.”
Space Cooperation With Russia Remains on Even Keel For Now At Least, Space Policy Online
“At a George Washington University Space Policy Institute seminar this morning, Valda Vikmanis-Keller, Director of the State Department’s Office of Space Affairs, said cooperation continues with Russia’s State Space Corporation Roscosmos and the other ISS partners “to maintain safe and continuous operations.” As planned, three Russian cosmonauts will launch to ISS on March 18, and two Russians and one American will return on March 30.”
Is our space partnership with Russia immune from Earthly conflicts?, opinion, Terry Virts, The Hill
“Which brings us back to the elephant in the room: What is the “point of no return” for Russia vis à vis the ISS partnership. Is it invading Ukraine, just a little bit? Is it a full-scale invasion, with Russian boots in Kiev? Is it something else? This question was never even on the horizon until Putin decided to try to return Russia to the glory days of the 20th century. Sadly, this point of no return for our space partnership is now in sight. Let us hope that he changes course before it’s too late.”
U.S. embassy tells Americans: have an evacuation plan from Russia, Reuters
“The U.S. embassy in Russia cautioned Americans on Sunday to have evacuation plans, citing the threat of attacks in Moscow and along the Russian border with Ukraine, drawing a rebuke from Russian foreign ministry. “There have been threats of attacks against shopping centres, railway and metro stations, and other public gathering places in major urban areas, including Moscow and St. Petersburg as well as in areas of heightened tension along the Russian border with Ukraine,” the embassy said.”
Keith’s note: I wonder what plans NASA has in place for personnel stationed at Mission Control, Star City, etc. So far the ISS has really been isolated from terrestrial politics. That may not be true much longer. FYI Roscosmos chief Dmitriy Rogozin has been on an official U.S. State Department sanction list since 2014 for his involvement in (you guessed it) the previous Ukraine invasion in 2014. Media reports suggest that Roscosmos was thinking of taking legal action against an American astronaut for the hole that someone in Russia drilled inside a Soyuz. So, its anyone’s guess what they might or might not do in the space sector after the shooting begins. Stay tuned.
CHANGES TO THE Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List SINCE JANUARY 1, 2014, State Department
“ROGOZIN, Dmitriy (a.k.a. ROGOZIN, Dmitry; a.k.a. ROGOZIN, Dmitry Olegovich); DOB 21 Dec 1963; POB Moscow, Russia; Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation (individual) [UKRAINE2].”
Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, February 17, 2022, State Department
“ROGOZIN, Dmitry Olegovich (a.k.a. ROGOZIN, Dmitriy; a.k.a. ROGOZIN, Dmitry); DOB 21 Dec 1963; POB Moscow, Russia; Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation (individual) [UKRAINE-EO13661].”
No impact at all. The space program is the most stabilizing part of our relationship with Russia. The Russian space program is the only great thing they have left. All Russian national pride and prestige is rooted in it. If we keep that window open the ability for governments to talk is assured.
The Russians can work with us in space and still shot at us on the ground. To the Russians, it is two different worlds.
You apparently have never read Dmitriy Rozogin’s Twitter feed.
I’d read that with a grain of salt. He undoubtedly writes it with an audience of one in mind.
We can work with each other in space, but working with each other on the ground may get complicated. If I’ve read the news correctly, all US citizens have been advised to leave Russia. Even if I misread that, it’s a likely possibility. And without NASA people working on the ground, at the Russian mission control facility outside Moscow, coordinating efforts will certainly be more difficult.
Putin’s has no pride in the space program. If he did, they wouldn’t have starved it of resources to the point that spacecraft flew with unpatched holes, and new modules nearly deorbited the whole station.
Russia’s space program is falling apart in full view of the entire world, and Putin does not care. He is only interested in regaining past earthbound glories, not in expanding society beyond those old limits.
They have had no money for space. The US paid to finish MIR and kept Soyuz/progress production going by buying seats. Up till early 2021 the x-cccp was very poor. Now they are selling just the US 200 million+ barrels of oil a year. All Russians (even Putin) love Russian Space program
I suspect the Russian crews will be breaking away from their regularly scheduled activities to perform urgent
bomb damage assessments“Hurricane Observations” just as they did following the Russian invasion of Georgia.10:30 Pm Wednesday. Putin bombing Kiev.
Sorry folks , NASA needs to end its relationship w Russia. Mad man Putin needs to be shut off by rest of the world. He is bat excrement crazy.