American Astronaut’s Ride to Space Station in Jeopardy

Posted on August 26, 2011 at 12:00am by Liz Klimas
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Russia has postponed the Friday launch of a Soyuz rocket carrying a navigation satellite for Glonass after a similar rocket carrying supplies to the International Space Station crashed yesterday after failing to enter orbit. The ride American astronauts were supposed to hitch next month to the ISS may not happen.

When NASA ended its space program last month, the only way for American astronauts to get to space was on Russian Soyuz rockets. That prospect is now looking dismal. The Huntsville Times reported senators as saying Congress was right to push NASA to launch one last space shuttle, which it took last month:

“In light of the failure of the Russian Progress vehicle,” U.S. Sens. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, and Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, said in a statement, “it is fortunate the Congress authorized the final flight of the space shuttle to provide supplies to ensure long term viability of the (space station).”

NASA’s final flight in July brought backup fuel to the station in case an emergency rescue were required, in addition to supplies to last astronauts up there several months.

According to the New York Times, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin mandated changes at the Russian space agency, which will affect review of equipment purchased from manufacturers and pre-launch procedures.

The rocket carrying 3 tons of supplies to the space station crashed into Siberian woods August 24 after it didn’t pick up enough speed to reach orbit.

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Comments (32)

jmcenanly
Posted on August 27, 2011 at 6:30pm
There are about four private companies and NASA who are working on American Space vehicles. http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/04/four-companies-win-nasas-ccdev-2-awards/. Space-X has developed a capsule called the Dragon. The next unmanned flight of this is scheduled for late November. The other companies have initial flights scheduled for between 2013 and 2015. Looking back, this is going to look very quick, but the next four years are going to drag by
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thegreatcarnac
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 4:21pm
Since obama and the democrats ruined NASA…our astonauts have to ride witch’es brooms into space like Harry Potter.
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texanpatriot
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 4:00pm
Let’s pass the hat to raise money and kickstart NASA. When we have a new President I am certain that our space program will be refunded.
Do we want a space program or middle class people on food stamps? Give me a few minutes to work that out…
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Hisemiester
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 3:35pm
Any American who wants to ride one of Russias rockets into space is an idiot.
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blazingaway
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 2:45pm
What else should anyone expect … giving-up power to the Russians.
We’re just so damn stupid in this country.
Lead, follow or get out of the way.
I guess we’ve gone from leading, to following to being told to just get out of the way, you’re not even relevant anymore. Thank you OBAMA
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1casawizard
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 2:32pm
We‘ve got Saturn 5’s that’ll get more stuff up there if we have to. Putin’sstuff looks like crap to me.
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BurntHills
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 12:16pm
it couldn’t please obama more. our NASA has become a MUSLIM OUTREACH global joke.
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FaithfulFriend
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 11:40am
My guess is this… 1 day a group of American astronauts will be killed while launching or returning to earth in a foreign country’s vessel. At that point we will begin to reconstitute our space program as it should have never been undone, because we will demand full accountability for their safety and not simply handing them over to someone else and their bureaucracy. We’ve certainly had our own tragedies in our space program, but the failures were ours right along side the successes. We can share our technologies with the world but we can’t share in what they do with it and so it comes down to responsibility and accountability within our grasp.
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Jimbo96
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 10:48am
Obama can waste millions on vacations and multiple campaign trips paid for by the taxpayer, Congress can waste billions on junkets, idiotic bills and non-necessary pork-barrel projects where most of the money goes to their campaign donors…but we now have NO MANNED SPACE PROGRAM solely due to the politics of wasteful spending on non necessary bovine scat…We need to eliminate almost all of those who feed at the public trough in the District of Criminals and let them survive on their wits like those they wish to micromanage…those who remain should be actual “PUBLIC SERVANTS” which means they make less than the average taxpayer, and if they are elected and increase their personal wealth all of the increase goes to the federal government to pay down the debt, until there is no more debt…those that remain get no special benefits, no retirement plan other than Social Security…
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urrybr
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 10:27am
Obama, thanks for screwing up our space program . . . that employed hundreds of thousands of people. Thanks for taking us a step backward into the 19th century, and trying to kiss the butts of those who would take us back to the 14th century. I’m sure that one day, some ONE will thank you. Who knows, maybe you’ll get your 72 black-eyed virgins. You DORK!
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Your Name Here
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 7:08am
Obana has turned NASA into “Now A Socialist Agency”.
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Dr Vel
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 5:33am
Billions of our tax dollars spent on a space station most of our astronauts will now get blown up trying to get to thanks to Obama.
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- CatB
  Posted on August 26, 2011 at 6:51am
  Exactly .. but look on the bright side .. NASA is now in the business of trying to prove man made global warming with Muslim outreach ..
  
  Wait until the Russians weaponize the space station .. then we really did pay for our own distruction.
  
  Thanks from me also OBAMA!!!
  
  TEA!
  Report Post »
Minefield
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 2:44am
They could fill a Russian astronut up with VODKA and set him on fire! ho ho
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- CatB
  Posted on August 26, 2011 at 6:54am
  Or Obama … for what MO has spent on vacations we could have saved the shuttle program!
  
  TEA!
  Report Post »
Minefield
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 2:36am
Do we have any astronauts left? Is there any one ready to fly? um
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- yougottabekidding
  Posted on August 26, 2011 at 4:34am
  They probably are in some muslim country telling
  them how much they have done to make it happen
  Report Post »
Captain Crunch
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 2:10am
If I was an astronaut I sure wouldn’t want to ride on a peice of Russian junk. They can’t even keep their airplanes in the air. Don’t be surprised if we bring back the shuttle program just to get our people back down to earth. Obama will probably try to blackmail us for a tax hike as the price for getting them back. I wouldn’t want to be on the ISS right now.
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- PeachyinGA
  Posted on August 26, 2011 at 10:45am
  I had the same thoughts. This article says several months worth of supplies were taken up in July for the astronauts. But I heard in the news a few days ago that they had a few months worth of food. It would be hideous to sit by and watch the astronauts starve to death while Russia blows up their supply rockets.
  Report Post »
Bullfrog85
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 1:57am
Poor Russians are having trouble getting into space. Give them NASA and they can’t figure out how to use the technology. Global redistribution of American systems don’t look too bright at the moment.
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macpappy
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 1:17am
Don’t worry too much, I’m sure that in case of emergency we could strap a capsule to a Minuteman Rocket, or an old Atlas II to get up there.
However, this sorry excuse for a president has left us in weak position, and America’s morale is as low as it has been since Jimmy Carter was in office. I remember the same down in your bones feeling back then.
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- carnifex
  Posted on August 26, 2011 at 1:24am
  I’m sure the Muslim outreach NASA was taked with will pay off by Hamas or Iran offering the use of a SCUD, or a Katushka rocket for us.
  Report Post »
- walkwithme1966
  Posted on August 26, 2011 at 1:28am
  So I am wondering if they have a back up plan if hitching a ride with the Russians does go well – how do we get our guys some and will we ever be able to sent other teams to the space station. What a waste of money! http://wp.me/pYLB7-1z2
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- Captain Crunch
  Posted on August 26, 2011 at 2:19am
  Yes, the Carter doldrums….you reminded me of those times.
  Report Post »
REDBLOODEDHUSKER
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 1:01am
To be fair, it was Bush’s knee jerk reaction after the Columbia disaster that set the shuttle retirement ball rolling. Obama just followed through with it.

Yeah, no real surprise here. Great plan to retire the only vehicle that could get up to and from space on our own without a replacement option well into development. We better hope SpaceX’s Dragon capsule meets its progress goals to be able to carry crew to space sooner rather than later.
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- does this burka make me look fat?
  Posted on August 26, 2011 at 7:28am
  There was no knee jerk reaction by Bush as a result of Columbia. There is a new Space Shuttle. Bush might have ended the old Shuttle to make way for the new Shuttle. Read his speech from January 2004….doesn’t sound like a knee jerk reaction to end the program. http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=13404. It was Obama who talked about ending the program and on his watch it did end. Obama’s an A$$ blowing money left and (left) right….funny pun….causing the U.S. to lose our standing in the world militarily and in every other way. I hate Obama and everything he stands for!!
  Report Post »
- REDBLOODEDHUSKER
  Posted on August 26, 2011 at 6:08pm
  Yeah, was funny when Obama canceled the Ares project (The shuttle’s replacement) by siting that IT COST TOO MUCH!! So hypocritical.
  Report Post »
banjarmon
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 12:42am
BO has hurt AMERICA more than any other person in the history of the known world!
It will be a good day when GOD removes him from EARTH!
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- Captain Crunch
  Posted on August 26, 2011 at 2:14am
  Maybe we can send him up to the ISS on one of those Russian rockets and leave him there. Just think President Obama, you could be the first President in space!
  Report Post »
johnsell
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 12:28am
Obama is vision-less in all he see‘s if it doesn’t fit into his agenda……
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AzDebi
Posted on August 26, 2011 at 12:16am
Well…well…well…NOW, who didn’t see this coming, huh? This should make Obama completely elated!
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- carnifex
  Posted on August 26, 2011 at 1:26am
  But….but…but the Muslim outreach! Think of the children!! Or maybe Obama is just a giant douche.
  Report Post »

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