American astronauts, why do russian spacecraft?
According to foreign media reports, the Russian National Space Corporation said that it did not receive the 2 billion rubles to transport NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei for the space flight.
The details are that the International Space Station is a large international space program led by the United States and Russia, and in the early days of the International Space Station operation, both the United States and Russia had the ability to transport astronauts.
Among them, the United States mainly uses the space shuttle to transport astronauts, and the safety performance of the space shuttle is poor, and there have been explosions, resulting in the death of astronauts. Not only that, the space shuttle is also very expensive, the public is not willing to pay, and finally in 2011, the US space shuttle was all retired.
After the full retirement of the space shuttle, the United States did not have a new manned spacecraft to transport astronauts to the International Space Station, but fortunately at this time they and Russia had a very good relationship, and the cooperation on the International Space Station project was also very pleasant, so the two countries discussed and decided that the United States would buy tickets for the Russian manned spacecraft to transport astronauts.
What are the benefits of this? First of all, the Russian manned spacecraft technology is very mature and the safety performance is high; secondly, the relations between the two countries were relatively good at that time, the price was relatively low, and it was certainly cheaper than developing their own manned spacecraft; the third was that the cooperation between the two countries in the field of space was very pleasant, and they did not worry about the neck of the card.
But the problem is that in 2014, the relationship between the United States and Russia changed for some reasons, although it did not affect the cooperation of the International Space Station, but the ticket price of the Russian manned spacecraft was not so favorable, but the tide was rising, and each seat needed to pay $71 million (and later increased to $90 million). No matter how expensive the ticket price is, it is actually cheaper than developing its own manned spacecraft.
The problem is that as soon as the relationship between the two countries changes, it is likely that the Neck of the United States will be used in a manned spacecraft.
For example, Russia's Rogozin satirized the United States: You can consider using a trampoline to send astronauts to the International Space Station.
The implication is already very obvious, that is, if Russia no longer helps the United States transport astronauts, the United States will not be able to transport astronauts to the International Space Station.
The United States is also aware of this problem, so in 2014 it funded Boeing and Space X with $6.2 billion, of which Boeing received $4.2 billion in research and development funds and Space X received $2.6 billion in contract research and development funding.
It is planned to complete a manned spacecraft with a capacity of 7 people by the end of 2017, trying to control the manned launch mission in its own hands rather than relying on others.
But the plan is not as smooth as expected, the original plan to develop a manned spacecraft in 2017, until 2020 success, but in any case, the United States finally got rid of the Russian manned spacecraft stuck neck thing.
After the successful development of SpaceX, the Russian manned spacecraft is no longer the only option for the United States, so the seat fee of the Russian manned spacecraft is not so expensive.
Does the United States want to pay the bills?
Although the United States has its own manned spacecraft, the United States will still rent the seat of the Russian manned spacecraft to pick up its own astronauts, of which NASA astronaut Van der Hey is taking a Russian manned spacecraft into the International Space Station, and then returning to Earth through the Russian manned spacecraft.
On March 30 this year, NASA astronaut Van der Hey and two other Russian astronauts returned to Earth on a Russian manned spacecraft.
It should be known that because of the relationship between the United States and Russia, people were once worried that NASA astronaut Van der Hey could not return to Earth in a Russian spacecraft. But Russia stressed that "the safety of the members of the International Space Station is the most important priority" and still chose to return to Earth with NASA astronauts.
According to the original plan, the United States promised to pay off the debt in May 2022, paying 2 billion rubles (about 24.205 million US dollars) for this, which is already very favorable compared to the previous $90 million ferry ticket.
Today, Russia has publicly stated that it has not yet received the cost of transporting NASA astronauts to the space flight, but they are not worried that the other side will default.
Rogozin said, "I have no doubt that they will eventually repay the money." It's just that it also shows that even such large contractors will have delays. Of course, the funds will come back, and we intend to let them pay in rubles. ”
Where is the International Space Station headed?
Although the International Space Station is a large-scale space project led by the United States and Russia, the cooperation process is not smooth, but friction.
American astronauts have refused Russian astronauts to use the gym in the American cabin, and have also refused Russian astronauts to borrow the toilets in the American cabin. Russian media have also accused the International Space Station of leaking, fearing that American astronauts deliberately did it.
And in the process of cooperation, Russia has repeatedly proposed to withdraw from the International Space Station project, it should be known that Russia is responsible for the orientation and avoidance of dangerous collisions on the International Space Station, and is also responsible for fuel delivery.
If Russia withdraws from the ISS project, it is not known how the United States will operate the space station. Rogozin said: Islamic Space Station member states can also purchase this service through rubles in order to maintain the operation of the International Space Station.
Russia has long proposed to set up its own space station, from a technical point of view, Russia has this strength, but the problem is a lack of money, resulting in the formation of its own space station plan has been delayed again and again.
Secondly, the mainland and Russia plan to form an international lunar research station together, and in the future, we may stay on the moon for a long time, and the space station may be advanced to the lunar era.