The Space Friendship is Over?

Sunday, on April 29, the head of the Russian Space Agency, Anatoly Perminov, said that USA declared itself out of the common moon research program with Russia, as reported by AFP.

Perminov said that the Russian side was ready to cooperate in this program, but due to unknown reasons the USA refused taking part in the common American-Russian moon research program.

However, Perminov said that the space cooperation between USA and Russia are not over, as the two parties will continue their common work on the ISS. An agreement signed recently ensures that Russia will transport all American shipments to the ISS until 2011. As stated by Perminov the contract is about $1 billion worth.

It is worth mentioning that in 2004 President George W. Bush declared a U.S. national space program, which said that American astronauts should land on moon by 2020. However, Michael Griffin, the head of NASA, said that the moon was not his primary goal, while commenting that U.S. space program of the President. He said that his main concern at the moment was replacement of the shuttle.

As it is already known, American shuttle flights are to be completely terminated by 2010, and its follower, a new generation spaceship Orion, should make its first flight in 2015.

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