Russia Reaches for the Moon
Putting the “space race” rivalry from 40 years ago aside, the Russians have approached NASA to try to become a part of their moon exploration program. The Russians are offering to contribute technology and knowledge to the partnership and are hoping to see a deal reached within the next few months.
NASA announced earlier this week that they plan to return to the moon in 2020. The plans include initially sending a four man crew to begin setup of an internationally staffed base camp that would be up and running by 2024.
Russian spokesman Igor Panarin says that the proposed agreement will be modeled on the current Russian arrangement with the European Space Agency. The deal involves using Russian Soyuz rockets to launch commercial satellites from France’s Kourou launch pad in French Guyana. As part of the deal, scheduled to start in 2008, the ESA will fund launch pad upgrades, while Russia provides booster rockets.
Russia has also agreed to help China make its first moon landing. The Russians have already assisted China in launching their first astronauts in 2003 and 2005 by selling them their manned space program technology. According to Panarin, there should be no rivalry between the countries involved in space research – as it is a large field for research and development, there is plenty of room for all nations.
A moon exploration program that involves setting up a permanent base on the moon has already been proposed by RKK Energiya, which is state controlled, but the plan has not yet been approved by the government.
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