Shuttle Program ends, Russian Program Expands - SpacePods 2010.07.07

While the Space Shuttle Program may be winding down, the Russian Soyuz program is in high demand. This is your SpacePod for July 7th, 2010.-------With the Space Shuttle Program winding down the Russian Soyuz rocket is about to be in high demand. Not only has the United States purchased tickets aboard the Russian built capsule to help ferry astronauts to the International Space Station after Shuttle retires, but now Canadian and European officials are looking to purchase dedicated Soyuz capsules for their own astronauts.This is really great news. Now that shuttle is retiring, there is a need to fill that gap with human rated rockets and spaceships. The doors of opportunity will be opening up for companies such as SpaceX and Orbital to come in and provide not just cargo services but crew as well. Sure, it does kinda suck that we're losing the Space Shuttle Program, but in its place we're forming a space industry. Just imagine what this whole new industry will look like 5 to 10 years from now. Very exciting stuff.And speaking of the Soyuz rockets, Arianespace is working on finishing up their all new launch pad designed specifically for the Russian designed Soyuz craft. This new launch complex is being built in the Guiana Space Center which is a French run spaceport located in Kourou, French Guiana. This has been the launch site of over 200 Arianespace rockets since 1979 and soon it will be the launch site of Soyuz rockets as well. This is the first time a Soyuz rocket will launch from outside of Russia or the Baikonur Cosmodrome, ever.There's a lot of really interesting and cool stuff happening over at Arianespace. For starters, the Ariane 5 launch coverage itself is some of the best in the world. They really do know how to put on a great show. Now they will be adding Soyuz rockets to their lineup. Then in early 2011 Arianespace will be adding the all new Vega launcher to their bag of tricks. Vega is designed to be a small launcher for satellites. This means that in early 2011, Arianespace will have a full lineup of rockets able to launch just about any payload you have at affordable prices. Vega for the smaller satellites, Ariane 5 for the medium lift needs and Soyuz for your heavy lift needs. Now throw in a little competiton from companies like SpaceX, BlueOrigin and Orbital. Well, you have the beginning of a space industry, not just a space program.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• nasa
• roscosmos
• sts
• iss
• arianespace
• ariane v
• vega

[EpiDemic117]

WHEN THE HELL WILL THEY REFUND THE X33 project!!!???? They will have no choice but to re invest.

[spacevidcast]

@EpiDemic117 There are a lot of projects NASA has bailed on, never to be seen again. Unfortunately for many, X-33 is just another dead project.

[ArmyFtBall]

A space program can coexist with a space industry.  They're not mutually exclusive. The Democrats have wanted to kill the space program for decades. Under the current leader, they're finally doing it.

[spacevidcast]

@ArmyFtBall We've tried to do that for 30 years. It has gotten us to LEO and... Nope, just LEO. Time to try something that may actually push humanity to the stars, not the same old program over and over again, IMO.

[ArmyFtBall]

@spacevidcast The space industry can do LEO. NASA beyond LEO. Obama is a total disaster for the space program. The current head of NASA is a total disaster as well. He's a mouthpiece for Obama who is part of the group of democrats who don't want to have NASA at all.

[spacevidcast]

@ArmyFtBall How can NASA do beyond LEO when they can even afford the program of record as it stands today? I think the Augustine Commission really hit the nail on the head when they asked if NASA had working Ares I and V vehicles now, just given to them, could they afford to actually run them? The answer was an astonishing "no". That's not a program that will work. It's like buying a $250,000 car but then not having enough left for gas money.

[qup5]

Very good video except for one small mistake: Soyuz is medium-lift and Ariane 5 is heavy-lift, not the other way round. Soyuz can do about 8 tons to LEO, while Ariane 5 can do 16-20, depending on the configuration.

[azizukman]

This presenter is a great example of how to be a Pratt.

[210482fmj]

if we can find ways to sustain life on space craft then theoretically it would be possible to reach other planets. i think the answer is creating civilizations in space vehicles. if people were to breed and have chidren in space then that woudl eliminate the problem of human beings lfiespan limitation. that ways when you died in space ur children would continue the mission and so on. i think the answer is build a ship big enough to support entire populations and sustain life.

[mist8k]

its about time astronauts became cosmonauts :P 

[Andrewso10]

US fucked up!

[airmaildeal]

Thanks to the USA, oil is more than 100$ and that made Russia one of he richest countries.Now they can buy NASA or the USA if they want to. Great foreign policy! Thank U.

[william899332]

@qup5 20 aint heavy brah

[InfiniteMushroom]

There will never be any space travel beyond LEO by privatized American space companies. Space will be reduced to a shameful joy ride for billionaires and spectacular feats of space-based advertising. The glory of discovery and national pride will be replaced by the filthy feel of commerce. A money-grubbing venture full of unsavory characters.

Russia's space program will still retain its sense of national pride as long as it remains a state function on behalf of the Russian people.

[InfiniteMushroom]

@sayeretmatkal17021 Reagan ordered a lot of things, based solely on the advice of Nancy's astrologer.

The fall of NASA, however, is based on more fundamental forces, that being the end of the global Ponzi Scheme a.k.a. our fiat dollar. The equity has been stripped, the fields gleaned, and the pyramid's base is stretched as far as it can go. All that's left are the family jewels and NASA is the last jewel.

America's space program will suffer the ignominious fate as a joy ride for billionaires.

[raday11]

poor americans took some shit to their pants about their space programm...it's just a beggining of their collaps..)

[sayeretmatkal17021]

my wife is with NASA, bush constantly cut the NASA budget by $1,000,000 per year. the Columbia disaster would have never occurred if unelected appointed bush had not been in office and it was Reagan who ordered the Challenger be launched(against Nasa defiance) on a frozen morning with frozen o-rings. it is the republican party intentions to dismantle NASA, MSFC,KSC,JSC, and JPL and put the hands of any future science or exploration into the hands of their Birtish CEO Branson. have a tea party!