April 13, 2006

Space Race II?


Space Race II?

Russia's Skyward Gaze

Russia, powered by the influx of oil dollars, is regaining its space ambitions after a slack decade following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The country could send a manned mission to the moon by 2015, followed by one to Mars by 2030, according to a statement by Nikolai Sevastianov, head of the Russian space construction company RKK Energia, on the eve of the 45th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's pioneering flight on Vostok-1.

Could this be the beginnings of Space Race II? It seems a direct challenge to NASA's plan, presented by President Bush in January 2004, to send American astronauts back to the moon by 2020 and then to Mars and beyond.

To trim costs, Russia's lunar exploration program would rely on Soyuz and Progress spacecrafts in its first phase, while the second phase would see the construction of a $1.5 billion reusable Clipper shuttle. The Clipper should enter service between 2012 and 2015, eventually replacing Soyuz for flights to the International Space Station, while it will be also be used for moon exploration missions, according to Sevastianov. Energia plans to fly six manned missions to the moon (worth $2 billion), and eventually set up a permanent moon base to recover helium-3 for energy use, as resources on Earth are depeleted.

Though Russian government officials have spoken in support of the project, no promises were made. Energia has paid for the preliminary design work on its own, while trying to raise funds elsewhere.

Even in its heyday, Russia's space program operated on a shoestring, in comparison with lavish NASA funding, but even more so after 1991. In 2001-2003, actual state allocations for space exploration fell 26 percent short of the expected budget, preventing completion of seven projects, according to Russian space agency head Anatoly Perminov. In 2005, Russia's space budget stood at around $600 million, as compared to NASA's of $16 billion, AP reported.

Although the Russian government promised boosting space research funding in 2006 (up to $832 million total) and in the coming decade, the Russian space agency still has to find ways to make ends meet. The most common solutions are commercial satellites, space tourists, who pay $20 million per trip, and selling berths on Soyuz spacecraft to U.S. astronauts headed to the International Space Station.

Meanwhile, Russia's recent turn to religion and spirituality has brought ironic changes to Baikonur and beyond.

An Orthodox church was built at Baikonur, the Soviet spaceport in Central Asia, which Russia still uses for launches. A Russian Orthodox priest now blesses rockets and space crews prior to launch, while many cosmonauts take their own icons into orbit.

Along these lines, a Russian astrologist recently sued NASA for $302 million in moral damages following the agency's strike on the Comet Tempel 1, when it was about 83 million miles from Earth. She claimed that the strike "encroached on the system of spiritual and life values, as well as on the natural being of outer space, upsetting the natural balance of forces in the universe." After failing to find support in a Moscow city court, the astrologist is planning an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.


More Space Links

For more information, see:

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals
[INVALID]
[INVALID]

Some of our Books

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955