NASA extended its contract with Russia to fly astronauts to the International Space Station due to budget cuts that have delayed commercial US alternatives, the US space agency said on Wednesday. Extending the contract through 2017 will cost the United States about $490 million, NASA chief Charles Bolden wrote in a letter to Congress.
The deal for US taxpayers to pay Moscow more than $80 million per seat on a Soyuz rocket comes at a time when Washington is ratcheting up sanctions against Russia in response to its actions in Ukraine.
“Unfortunately, for five years now, the Congress … has not adequately …read more
Source: Daily News & Analysis
