Sorry State of affairs!!

 

Russia Says End Of Shuttle Program Ushers In The 'Era Of Soyuz' Points To 'Reliability' Of Its Spacecraft In A Post-Shuttle
World

Russia says the end of the U.S. Space Shuttle program marks the
beginning of the "Era Of Soyuz" for transportation to the
International Space Station.

"From today, the era of the Soyuz has started in manned space
flight, the era of reliability," the Russian space agency Roscosmos
said in a statement.

The French news service AFP reports that the Soyuz design has
changed little since Yuri Gagarin first climbed aboard one to
become the first man in orbit. But the Russian space agency says
they have continuously improved the spacecraft, and the fact that
it is still flying as the shuttle program ends is a testament to
the "reliability and not to mention cost efficiency" of the older
design.

In a nod to the U.S. Space program, the statement said "Mankind
acknowledges the role of American space ships in exploring the
cosmos."

But Russia is clearly basking in the fact that it now has the
only vehicle capable of transporting humans to the ISS and back
likely until 2016 at the earliest.
FMI: www.roscosmos.ru/main.php

 

Kelly Troyer
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