Progress 38P Docks With ISS

While it seemed all about them were loosing their heads, the Russians remained calm and confident. I guess the American's HSF program (a.k.a., Soyuz) is in good hands!

Yeah, the best hands that $50 million bucks can buy.

While it seemed all about them were loosing their heads, the Russians remained calm and confident. I guess the American's HSF program (a.k.a., Soyuz) is in good hands!

Yeah, $50 million per SEAT!!!!
I keep thinking,is this really the same organization that I have followed since 1981??? I feel almost like all that time and effort will just be a memory in a museum.
I know that Jim Webb and all the others that helped build a robust manned program are rolling over in their graves. Oh and not to mention the American astronauts and engineers that gave their lives for the program will have died in vain.

Congratulations on a successful docking.

If SpaceX can deliver a Dragon seat to the ISS for $30 million as reported, will anyone be surprised if the Russians lowered the cost of a Soyuz couch to $25 million?

Dream on! Even if SpaceX does that 5-10 years from now--the Russians will have raised the price (which btw is closer to $56M!) to $150M per seat in 2013! And, another little fact most don't know, the US pays that rip-off price not only for every US astronaut to the ISS but for the other IP (except the mandatory Russian crews)astronauts that ride up (and down on the Soyuz + additional $$$ for training at Star City BTW!) So do the math---it actually would be CHEAPER to fly 4-6 of them in a Shuttle twice a year! Plus without the Shuttle there is virtually NO down payload capability at all--anywhere in the world! Not to mention NO sizable UP cargo capability for large instruments and big spare parts when the ISS starts to fall apart--and, believe me, it will by 2013!! Retiring the Shuttle is the DUMBEST thing the US has done (in the space world) I've seen in my 48 years at NASA--and I have seen some really DUMB ones! Yes, I know, still have to have a Soyuz at the ISS for a Lifeboat---but just cut the crews back to 3 and keep flying the Shuttle twice a year--will still be CHEAPER (not to mention retaining the US HSF lead in space!) and way more effective in terms of ISS productivity. In fact, there's really no point in extending the ISS beyond 2015 if a Shuttle-like capability doesn't exist!(Dragon will not even be like "Gemini on Steroids"--what a joke!)

They might and that would be a good thing (competition driving prices down), but NASA would have to buy American once it was available.

I bet that the Russians have learned a few lessons regarding capitalism in the past few decades of working with us on the ISS. And I know that Elon knows his way around a market research report, so whose to say that Elon and the Russians won't continue to corner the market for delivering crew to the ISS and agree not to undercut each other's price? After all, it's just American tax payer dollars, now....

The "forgotten company", Orbital Sciences, which, unlike SpaceX, has flown plenty of space missions, and their Cygnus module might have a few things to say about your scenario.

There are also about a half dozen other American companies plus the EU that hopefully will be interested in the market.