Russia Hikes Price of Rocket Rides for U.S. Astronauts to $63 Million

[AntZ]

Russia Hikes Price of Rocket Rides for U.S. Astronauts to $63 Million

Published March 14, 2011 | FoxNews.com




NASA, already committed to paying Russia millions of dollars to hitch rides into space, had some expensive news to announce Monday: Russia plan to start charging even more.

With the United States phasing out the shuttle program, the new way for U.S. astronauts to get to the International Space Station will be to catch a ride with the Russians, and NASA's existing contract for that transport priced each rocket ride at just under $56 million.

Now, Russia is hiking the price for each rocket ride to nearly $63 million in 2014. The contract extension with the Russian Space Agency totals $753 million, which covers trips for a dozen astronauts from 2014 through 2016.

Why such a price hike? NASA officials chalk it up to inflation.

NASA chief Charles Bolden says it's critical for U.S. companies to take over this transportation job. The space shuttles used to do that job are being retired this summer.

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Good thing the U.S. government decided to put all trust in our Russian friends to get Americans into space! :cheerlead:

How the mighty have fallen! :rolleyes:


Thanks again to Obama for canceling the launch vehicle that was replacing the shuttle for space station transportation! :thumbsup:

[Godfather]

You ever get bored of finding ways to blame everything bad on Obama?!





Teasing you :P :lol:


But yeah, this isn't really all that shocking now is it :wha: Supply and demand is a bitch.... Russia now gets to pretty well charge whatever they want don't they. It's so disappointing America didn't have a replacement vehicle in place before the shuttle program was finished. That's something NASA should have been let to start on years and years ago. Not that I care if it's Obama's fault or not, but wasn't it planed for a good long time prior to Obama that there would be a big gap between the Shuttles and Orian/Constellation Program?

[Max]

In all fairness, Lockheed was once again sticking it up the US taxpayers asses with their Orion spacecraft. Billions spent, endless cost overruns, and more excuses. They delivered nothing but a mock up, and news that it would be years late. Thus was it canceled, and turned into a glorified escape capsule system. This is typical of what aerospace companies have been doing for decades. They receive billions of dollars to develope something they have no intention of completing. They post ungodly profits, and end up having the customer cancel the programs. They did the same thing with the original ship supposed to replace the shuttle fleet...the VentureStar. Lockheed took zillions of dollars, and said they could build a working aerospike propulsion system to power the ship. Years laters and after billions spent....no aerospike system, and no VentureStar. It gets canceled. This is par for the course.

For US astronauts to have to get into space this way is beyond shameful.

Some of the biggest names of america's former astronaut corps...Armstrong, Glenn, Mitchell etc. all petitioned the government to just keep the shuttles flying at two missions per year. That would keep our participation with the ISS sound while SpaceX finished their Dragon spacecraft and launcher, but they were ignored. Now we are space hitch-hikers. Pathetic.

[Godfather]

I don't see why they can't just keep one or two of the shuttles running... it could reduce costs enough to still work on a replacement but allow the US to still have an active program :wha:

[Deepsepia]

I don't see why they can't just keep one or two of the shuttles running... it could reduce costs enough to still work on a replacement but allow the US to still have an active program :wha:

You'd have to keep at least two.

The Shuttle costs roughly $1.5 - 2 billion per mission, all inclusive (eg including design and build). Just the operating cost is probably $600 million, though its hard to say, given how NASA accounts for things.

The shuttle isn't just expensive, it can't put satellites into very high orbits.

The best indication of its usefulness or lack thereof is that the Air Force long ago developed their own launchers, choosing not to rely on the Shuttle for anything important.

The only mission for which it has any relevance is delivering astronauts to the International Space Station, which is as much of a waste as the Shuttle.

When was the last time you heard of anything significant happening on the Space Station

[crickets]

that's right, never . . .

[FBD]

so we're back to the old adage of anything guaranteed or paid for by the us government is subject to huge delays, cost overruns, people sitting there increasing the cost of things tenfold simply because they know the government is paying for it and isnt going to seriously question where the money is going or how efficiently it is being utilized.

this is a problem writ large with our government...it does not know how to spend money wisely in the least.