Russia to build new space launchpad

[Serebro]

Surprisingly April, 12 and its events were left unnoticed on RWD so I decided to "celebrate" the  47th anniversary of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's becoming the first man in space myself by adding the article about building new space launchpad.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080411/ap_on_re_eu/russia_space;_ylt=Ak9jTn2.5UyP1oimGlQ4YWl0bBAF

MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin ordered his government Friday to speed up construction of a new cosmodrome and development of a booster rocket in a bid to revive the nation's space glory.

ADVERTISEMENT
 
Russia's space agency chief, meanwhile, said the country may stop selling seats on its spacecraft to "tourists" starting in 2010 because of the planned expansion of the international space station's crew from the current three to six or even nine in 2010.

The development came a day before the 47th anniversary of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's becoming the first man in space. The Soviets also launched the first satellite — Sputnik — and the first woman in space, and carried out the first spacewalk.

But Russia's space industries fell on hard times after the 1991 Soviet collapse when once-generous state funding dried up. They have survived mostly thanks to launches of foreign commercial satellites and revenue from so-called "space tourists" — wealthy private citizens who have bought trips to the International Space Station.

Russia's oil-driven economic boom has led to increases in government spending on the nation's space program in recent years, reducing the space agency's dependence on revenue generated by commercial flights.

Federal Space Agency chief Anatoly Perminov said the space station's expansion will mean that Russia will have fewer extra seats available for tourists on its Soyuz spacecraft, which are used to ferry crews to the station and back to Earth. Since 2000, five wealthy private citizens have bought trips to the station.

"We will continue flying tourists to the international space station in accordance with the existing programs, but we may have problems with it starting from 2010 because of planned increase of the ISS' crew," Perminov said, according to Russian news reports.

Russia has launched all its manned missions — many involving U.S. and other foreign crew members — from the Soviet-built Baikonur cosmodrome, which it leases from neighboring Kazakhstan. Putin ordered officials Friday to speed up construction of the Far Eastern Vostochny launch facility to make it capable of handling manned space launches.

He said the government would increase the space program's budget to make that possible.

"We must ensure Russia's guaranteed access to space, that is a capability to make all kind of space launches — satellites, manned spacecraft and interplanetary probes — from our own territory," Putin said during a meeting of the presidential Security Council, which discussed the nation's space strategy.

Putin said that money for the initial phase of construction on Vostochny, or Eastern, cosmodrome in the Amur region which borders China, would be allocated this year.

Perminov said after the meeting that the Vostochny launch pad will be built by 2015 and begin handling all manned space launches in 2020.

Putin on Friday also ordered space officials to speed up the development of the new heavylift Angara booster rocket and modernize and expand the nation's satellite fleet.

[BillyB]

I wonder if a race for space is heating up again? Bush has funded NASA for a program to land on Mars and Putin is pumping money into Russia's space program.

[viking]

I remember all this. We would look into the night sky trying to see Sputnik but I think the first object I did see was the US Telstar. Yuri was a very brave man and deserves to have more things named after him. Everyone who came after him, at the very least, had a person to talk to about what it felt like. Also Russias achievements in space are commendable. First only comes one and they had a few. The events you mention were very proud moments in Russia's history.

I just hope all this leads to a peaceful exploration in space.

[Makkin]

  I can't wait to see man back on the moon in 2019-2020. I remember watching the Apollo 11 men walking on the moon and it will be 39th birthday of that event in a very short time.
 

Makkin

[Lit_1nce]

Serebro-

A little over a week ago the European Space Agency sent an unmanned cargo ship to the space station and docked. I don't think the news media here gave it much attention, if any..

Anniversaries (unless your married) get little attention, unless the number of years is a multiple of 5.. of course catastrophes are an exception, but often even that will fade and you end up back to the multiple of 5 again.. I think you'll find that unless Britney has triplets or dies of an overdose on that day, that on the 50th anniversary it will even be mentioned on our American propaganda news media.

[I/O]

Sputnik got a fair rap on the news here a few months ago and it was rather nice for my MIL who was here at the time to see. It was almost more interesting to watch the beaming pride in her eyes than to watch the report itself. Early achievements in this area is something Russia can be duely proud of.

I/O

[55North]

A little over a week ago the European Space Agency sent an unmanned cargo ship to the space station and docked. I don't think the news media here gave it much attention, if any..

Absolutely.  Whilst I think the idea of power-block space races is dead and gone, because of all the co-operation nowadays, the Europeans have arrived, and are doing some things not done before.  So, certainly 3 at the top table.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7328816.stm (video)

Yes, I'm old enough to remember Yuri Gagarin, as I am to remember the 1st British group record to top the American charts, celebrating an American communications satellite (Telstar by the Tornadoes)! 

[wxman]

NASA also celebrated April 12th as did 174 cities from around the world. Cheers to Yuri! The picture in the article is the party at NASA.

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/04/yuris-night-the.html