R
radarredux
Guest
For about 3 years Soyuz and Progress were the only means to support the ISS with a skeleton crew of 2 people, and at times there were concerns that supplies and spare parts were running very low. After 2010 ISS will have a crew three times that size, and there will be no shuttle. Japan and ESA are developing cargo supply ships, but neither have flown yet. Also I have yet to read about what operational budget ESA and Japan will spend on these supply ships.<br /><br />Will Russia be able to scale up production and launch rates of Soyuz and Progress to support an ISS that will be three times the size of the ISS during the Columbia hiatus? Who will pay for these flights?<br /><br />Will the US be paying significant sums to foreign suppliers for crew and cargo access to ISS until CEV flies? If so, has anyone explained this to Congress?<br /><br />The reason I ask this is that Congress is reducing expected funding levels for CEV and Ares development (e.g., $577 reduction for FY07 transcript), which will delay operational capability for CEV to ISS. Has anyone explained to Congress that the longer the CEV is delayed, the more money Congress will have to pay Russia for services to ISS?