dont make us hitch rides with russia
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

NASA Chief Charles Bolden:

Don't make us hitch rides with Russia

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today Don't make us hitch rides with Russia

NASA Chief Charles Bolden
Washington - Arab Today

The head of NASA appealed to Congress on Friday to put more money into restoring America's ability to send astronauts into space instead of relying on Russian rockets.

In an open letter, published in Wired magazine and titled "Don't Make Us Hitch Rides With Russia. Love, NASA," Charles Bolden said the US government has essentially funded Moscow instead of pouring money into its own aerospace industry back home.

"Every dollar we invest in Moscow is a dollar we're not investing in American businesses," wrote Bolden, a former astronaut and the current administrator of NASA, the US space agency.

The US space shuttle program closed down for good in 2011 and commercial industry -- with the help of NASA funds -- is racing to build new spaceships to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station by 2017.

"Since 2010, the president has received approximately $1 billion less than he requested for NASA's Commercial Crew initiative," Bolden wrote.

"During this time we've sent $1 billion to Russia."

Without a US spaceship to carry humans to space, the world has had to rely on Russia for transport aboard its Soyuz capsules.

"On a per-seat basis, it costs approximately $81 million to send an American astronaut to the Space Station on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft," Bolden wrote.

"By comparison, it will cost $58 million per seat to send our astronauts to the Space Station on Boeing's and SpaceX's spacecrafts, once they are certified."

The letter concluded by urging lawmakers to funnel more money into US efforts to return to spaceflight.

"Just recently, NASA was left with no other choice but to write a $490 million check to our Russian counterparts so that we can get our own astronauts to the Space Station. It doesn’t have to be this way," Bolden said.

"Congress can and should still fix this by investing in Commercial Crew."
Source: AFP

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

dont make us hitch rides with russia dont make us hitch rides with russia

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

dont make us hitch rides with russia dont make us hitch rides with russia

 



GMT 14:30 2017 Sunday ,22 October

Abe coalition wins resounding victory in Japan vote

GMT 09:44 2017 Tuesday ,17 October

Morocco arrests 11 suspects linked to ISIS

GMT 13:09 2015 Tuesday ,09 June

Slaven Bilic returns to West Ham as manager

GMT 16:04 2017 Saturday ,30 September

Got a yacht? Proposed French tax break makes waves

GMT 13:06 2016 Saturday ,31 December

Syrian passport trade becomes unlikely cash cow

GMT 04:47 2017 Wednesday ,30 August

Mark Zuckerberg welcomes second daughter in Facebook

GMT 00:59 2014 Saturday ,07 June

January 19 - February 17

GMT 10:53 2017 Wednesday ,05 July

AU Summit gives priority to youth empowerment

GMT 17:26 2017 Wednesday ,15 February

Russian jets in ‘unsafe’ encounters with destroyer
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday