Blogger Note: The cost of a Soyuz seat just rose to $55.8 million from $51 million in 2009.This just in from NASA:
NASA has signed a $335 million modification to the current International Space Station contract with the Russian Federal
Space Agency for crew transportation, rescue and related services in 2013 and 2014.
The firm-fixed price modification covers comprehensive Soyuz support, including all necessary training and preparation for launch, crew rescue, and landing of a long-duration mission for six individual station crew members.
In this contract modification, space station crew members will launch on four Soyuz vehicles in 2013 and return on two vehicles in 2013 and two in 2014.
Under the contract modification, the Soyuz flights will carry limited cargo associated with crew transportation to and from the station, and disposal of trash. The cargo allowed per person is approximately 110 pounds (50 kilograms) launched to the station, approximately 37 pounds (17 kilograms) returned to Earth, and trash disposal of approximately 66 pounds (30 kilograms).
10 comments:
Wow! Now THERE's a surprise!!! NOT! It's just the beginning......
Hey, just so they give us an equivalent reduction in the price of vodka, its OK by me.
OK -- so they blackmailed the US into money to deliver the power supply for the station, used station as a military post to start the war in Georgia, and now they want more bucks....
Wake up America........
HAHA!!!
This country is sure good at giving out money to other countries instead of taking care of our own. This is outrageous and the ultimate in outsourcing thousands of American jobs. Why doesn't our administration just hand over the White House why they are at it. It's obvious they don't know how to run it.
Even Congress can't repeal the law of supply and demand.
Unfortunately, most of the parts suppliers for the space shuttle have already shut down or are almost done! This process started 6 yrs ago in 2004.
Damn shame, the shuttle is/was a good craft. With some modernizing of the airframe and such, it could have easily flown for a few more years safly. Heck, some of the commercial passanger jets still in service are older than the space shuttle!!
The consequence of the Bush Administration decision to shut down Shuttle and contract with the Russians until Shuttle's replacement was ready. The Bush Administration said it would take five years, but the Augustine Panel found it would be more like 8-10 years.
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definitely, the NASA officials don't seem so "smart" when they sign business deals with Russia... :)
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it has signed a deal to "buy" six (yes, just SIX) Soyuz "seats" in four flights in 2013-2014 for $335 million, that are $55.8 million per "seat", while, a few weeks ago, France has ordered 14 Soyuz rockets (42 "seats" in total or just 28 if each Soyuz needs a russian pilot) from Russia for only $1 billion, to be launched from Kourou...
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http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=120479§ionid=351020603
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so, why don't buy and launch the Soyuz from KSC to save money?
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http://www.newspaceagency.com/articles/05soyuzfromksc.html
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Didn't we involve the Russians in the Space Station program to keep them from selling arms to the Iranians and other trouble makers in the middle east?? Well, turn-about is fair play. Maybe we should be attemplting to sell long-range launch vehicle capability to eastern European contries. Subsequent negotiations might help to bring down our cost-per-astronaut-flight in the Soyuz.
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