Re: starship-design: NASA As an Equity Partner

[Zenon Kulpa <zkulpa@ippt.gov.pl>]

> From owner-starship-design@lists.uoregon.edu Fri May 16 04:05:44 2003
> From: KellySt@aol.com
> 
> I shudder at any paper that writes:
> 
>   ====The Soyuz spacecraft is the most reliable and cost-effective human-rated
>   ==   spacecraft ever flown. 
>   ==   NASA can 'cheaply' and 'safely' satisfy its mission needs through the 
>   ==   use of Soyuz vehicles for the rest of the decade. At the same time it 
> 
>   ==   ensures a primary role for the Russians, a key partner on the ISS. ===
> 
> First teh Russians have been ripping us off badly on anything in ISS they 
> have ben involved with, and Soyuz isn't that safe!!  Its rates are better 
> tehn shuttle  - but not a lot better, and the capacities are low, adn it 
> usually beats up its crew.
> 
> ISS is irrelevant, it really serves no purpose other then a token US Rusian 
> cooperative deal.  
>
True, but since ISS must at least for some time remain up there
for political reasons, the author is about right saying - let it be 
serviced for a while by cheap Souyuz crafts, while we will engage 
in boosting our new launchers without the burden of reviving 
shuttle launches to ISS by all costs...
It seems a good idea, or am I mistaken?

-- Zenon Kulpa