© NASA TV
A Russian Soyuz rocket launches toward space carrying the Olympic torch for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and the new Expedition 38 crew for the International Space Station at 11:14 p.m. EST on Nov. 6, 2013. The rocket carrying Expedition 38 flight engineers Rick Masstrachio of NASA, Koichi Wakata of Japan and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin lifted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.
A Russian Soyuz rocket launches toward space carrying the Olympic torch for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and the new Expedition 38 crew for the International Space Station at 11:14 p.m. EST on Nov. 6, 2013. The rocket carrying Expedition 38 flight engineers Rick Masstrachio of NASA, Koichi Wakata of Japan and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin lifted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.
NASA recently renewed a contract that allows Russia to ferry U.S. astronauts to the International Space Station.The United States is, essentially, cutting Russia a $457.9 million check for its services - six seats on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, training and launch prep, landing and crew rescue and limited cargo delivery to and from the International Space Station.
This contract also adds additional support at the Russian launch site.NASA has announced it is cutting some contacts with Russia after the country annexed Crimea, including meetings and teleconferences.
The move came after President Barack Obama last month signed an executive order allowing restrictions on dealings with some of Russia's largest sectors, including financial services, energy and defense.
The United States is currently considering additional sanctions against Russia.
But some NASA initiatives just can't be stopped, underscoring the reliance the United States has on Russia for its space program.
The most important is, essentially, the taxi service to the International Space Station.
Although the United States operates the International Space Station, it is dependent on Russia to get astronauts there. When the United States retired the space shuttle, it left NASA with no way to get astronauts to the space station. So it inked a contract with Russia to provide rides to the Space Station, which is 240 miles above Earth.
Comment: What a grovelling, sycophantic, bootlicking excuse for a human! This man deserves to be in prison, along with everyone else who conspired to sell their country down the tubes.