WASHINGTON: In an agreement worked out in the past few months, the former rivals of the cold war came together for setting up an international space station which will boost the sagging programs of both the countries. It has been described as a ‘high stakes plan’ the largest international venture ever under taken by countries in history other than fighting wars.
Russia would join Europe, Japan and Canada as a partner in the Space station project, but the United States would retain total command and control authority, NASA administrator Daniel S.Goldin and his Russian counterpart Yuri Koptey said at NASA headquarters. Key members of Congress had earlier expressed alarm at reports that the plan might yield too much authority to the Russians.
Gold in said the time has come for America to stop its costly indecision on the issue and make a commitment. “We don’t have the resources to keep two separate programs going… The Russians are giving up their independent space station.
The participation of the Russians would mean numerous advantages for the U.S, program, said Gold in, who guided the report’s preparation. These include 25% more enclosed volume for living and working, a crew of six instead of four, 40 kilowatts more power, a better level of stable weightlessness for science research, improved safety and reliability and more efficient supply and servicing of the facility.
Gold in said he expects Russian: participation to save $3 billion to $4 billion over the current plan for Alpha because it shortens the construction of the orbital facility by two years. With the Russians, the station would be available for limited research in late 1997 and completed for permanent human occupancy in October 2001.
The plan envisions the world’s first electronically linked joint control centers one in Houston and one for backup in Kaliningrad, northeast of Moscow. Controllers in both facilities and all flight crews would be trained in English and Russian.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 19, 1993
