Hurry Up and Get That Shuttle Flying

29 December 2004: No more free rides for U.S. astronauts on Russian spacecraft, Russian space chief says, AP

"Russia plans to stop giving American astronauts free rides on its spacecraft to the international space station beginning in 2006, the head of Russia's space agency said. Anatoly Perminov said the no-cost agreement between NASA and Russia's space agency Roskosmos could be replaced by a barter arrangement, according to the Interfax news agency on Tuesday."

29 December 2004: Russians ready pay-as-you-go space plan, Reuters

"From 2006, we will put U.S. astronauts into orbit only on a commercial basis," Itar-Tass news agency quoted Perminov as saying."