Russian Ship Blasts Off With Supplies

[Florida_Geek]

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/science/AP-Russia-Space-Station.html?oref=login

ecember 23, 2004
Russian Ship Blasts Off With Supplies
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 6:21 p.m. ET

MOSCOW (AP) -- A Russian cargo ship blasted off early Thursday carrying badly needed food and equipment for the international space station, where supplies for the American and Russian crew have dwindled to critical levels.

The Progress M-51 took off from the remote Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 1:19 a.m. (Moscow time) with about 2.5 tons of food, fuel and research equipment for Russian cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov and U.S. astronaut Leroy Chiao, ITAR-Tass and Interfax news agencies said. It was scheduled to arrive Sunday morning....

...more at AP

[Massacure]

1. Hopefully the shuttle will be fixed quickly.

The I.S.S. desperately needs parts that cannot be taken up by the Progress capsules. Progress is also just barely able to supply two people with supplies. The station is supposed to have three people.

[benburch]

2. Eventually...

The station was supposed to have 9-12 people.

It is unlikely now that it will ever be finished, or ever fulfill its other goals.

[daleo]

3. I think politics will kill the International Space Station

Bush and his PNAC brethren never wanted the ISS, so they will slowly strangle it. First off, they just don't like international cooperation (not among equals, anyway). Second, it interferes with plans to militarize and weaponize space, which is the only purpose that their small minds can contrive for space research.

[VegasWolf]

4. True, the ISS will be still born. bushco doesn't appreciate the

idea of pure scientific research.

[Vidar]

5. I fear you're right. The ISS gives hope to mankind. Bush wants

no part of that. I'm glad the Russians are managing to supply it.