"The parties met on Dec 13 through 17 to discuss the possibility of a contingency mission to ISS to repair the FGB and to extend its on orbit life in the event of a further delay of the SM launch date. RSC-E was represented by L. Gorshkov, NASA by K. Reiley, and KhSC by A. Mikhailov. The following items were discussed.

The parties agreed to begin the development of a contingency mission labeled 2A.2A to protect for the possibility of a further delay of SM launch. It was agreed that if the SM launch is delayed to May or later, then an additional mission (2A.2A) will be planned for March 16. The purpose of this mission will be to repair equipment on the FGB, take measures to extend its' service life to Dec. 2000, and to perform activities planned for the original 2A.2 mission in that general order of priority. After SM launches, a revised 2A.2 mission will be flown. This launch will be scheduled for no earlier than July 8 and will be designated 2A.2B. A preliminary listing of tasks for the 2A.2A is enclosed in attachment 1."

"Over the weekend, an Embassy employee was assaulted at the CD rynok. By all accounts, the attack was racially motivated, as the victim was an African American and the attacker's description fits the profile of a Russian skinhead. This is the second reported racially motivated assault in two years at the same location. "

Translation courtesy of Jim Oberg:

"While discussing the amendments to the draft 2000 budget today, the Duma decided to allocate 1.5bn (approximately US$70,000,000) roubles to continue the flight of the Mir space station. Spending on the space flight will be at the expense of spending on international activities."

At today's afternoon session of the International Space Business Assembly in Washington D.C., Luo Ge, Director General of Foreign Affairs of the China National Space Administration was asked "Is China's manned spacecraft based upon Russia's Soyuz spacecraft?"

Luo was less than forthcoming in his answer.

"How could a scientist whose official salary as the Salyut Design Bureau's general designer and deputy general director of the Khrunichev State Space Science and Production Center comes to $700 a month amass such a fortune? Lecturing at the Moscow Aviation Technology Institute -- yet another shelter for the poverty-stricken intellectual elite -- could hardly have helped. But the general designer's other pursuit could be a gold mine. We are talking about the joint ventures that only foolish leaders fail to surround themselves with nowadays."

"Kazakhstan suspended launches from its Baikonur cosmodrome after a second Russian Proton rocket booster crashed on its territory shortly after takeoff from the base, officials said Thursday."

"The Mir space station, unmanned since August, has been leaking air into space and gradually falling to Earth, but neither problem should cause the station to crash or become uninhabitable, a news agency said Wednesday."

"Five Russian space scientists will be honored with the Fourth $250,000 Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Aerospace Prize for their contributions to the design and development of the Mir multi-modular space station and its transportation system ... the scientists honored were: Messrs Yuri P. Semenov, Anatoly I. Kiselev, Gai I. Severin, Anatoly I. Grigoriev and Peter I. Klimuk."

"However, those campaigning for Mir's continued existence will be hoping enough private money might have been secured by that time to keep the platform flying. "

"Sobin Bank has a close relationship to Russia's government, handling the State Customs Committee's accounts. Its shareholders include two other major banks and Energiya, which builds booster rockets for Russia's space program."

"Sobinbank has close links with the government, handling the State Customs Committee's accounts. Its shareholders include two other major banks and the RKK Energiya company, which built and has run the Mir space station."

"...it was agreed that the projected launch window for Zvezda has moved to a period ranging from December 26 to January 16. A precise launch date will be announced after the General Design Review in a few weeks."

"During meetings in Moscow and Houston Thursday, NASA managers debated ever-changing launch schedules for the space shuttle fleet and the next piece of the international space station. They decided that the Russian-built Zvezda Service module will be launched no sooner than December 26 -- more than a month later than the most recent projection. "

"The cash strapped Russian government may sell some of its time on the International Space Station so it can raise money to build crucial segments of the orbiter, a newspaper reported Wednesday. Moscow has already sold some of its early research time on the station to NASA for $60 million."

Editor's note: just how much crew time is there left to sell - and to whom?

"1.1 Crew Time
4000 hours of research crew time, 2400 of which will be provided beginning with increment 3 and continuing through Increment 13. NASA and RSA will work together as described in Section 2, below, to arrive at plans for each increment which will result, insofar as possible, in provision of 2400 hours beginning with increment 3 and continuing through Increment 13. If this is not possible, NASA and RSA will proceed in accordance with paragraph 2.3, below. NASA and RSA recognize the desirability of completing the transfer of all 4000 hours prior to assembly complete. The terms and conditions surrounding the provision of the crew time are set forth in the terms and conditions below. The crew time provided will be used for research on non-Russian elements (not on the FGB)."

"Six weeks after incorrectly predicting that Paris would be destroyed by the Mir space station, an embarrassed Paco Rabanne has owned up to making "a huge blunder."

"For the first time, Russian officials are allowing groups of U.S. civilians to visit the facility 19 miles east of Moscow, and undergo the same training as cosmonauts preparing for Soyuz-TM flights and duty aboard the International Space Station. A group of up to 10 people is leaving in October. Other groups are due to travel to Star City once a month from March through June 2000. The cost: $14,950 per person."

Editor's note: it seems that some preparations are underway to at least consider accomodating the proposed proposed 1R1 Soyuz flight (aka "Expedition Zero") which would put 2 Russians on ISS late this year (assuming that the Service Module launch occurs as planned in November).

The subject apparently came up during a NASA-wide telecon regarding the provision of increased ISS ECOMM support via TDRS. According to a source familiar with the telecon (No George I was not listening in on this one either!) it appears that Russia has suggested that this crew would be placed on ISS to finish some of the work inside the Service Module - work which will apparently not be completed prior to launch. They would then remain on ISS until the arrival of the first "formal" ISS International Crew on the Soyuz 2R mission in March 2000.

Supporting the communications requirements would apparently be straightforward: NASA VHF stations could support such a mission as early as November or December 1999 using procedures identical to those used in the past for MIR/Soyuz support. Stay tuned.

Editor's note: according to Interfax: "The crew that will travel up to the Mir space station for the last time next February may include a European astronaut, the head of the European Space Agency, Alain Fournier-Sicre, said in Zvyozdny on Friday."

According to Agence France Presse: "The ESA astronauts' training centre has been approached by the Russians," Alain Fournier-Sicre, an ESA official in Moscow, told AFP. He said "very preliminary discussions have been held on the despatch of a new astronaut in February."

Editor's note: New regulations regarding mobile phones and limits on the weight of your luggage - and the fee you pay if you exceed those limits.

"The best advice the NMLO can offer to travelers is not to bring your mobile phone."

"The measure also would withhold $590 million the United States is to pay Russia for its participation in the international space station program until the president determines that Russia is actively opposing proliferation to Iran. "

"The official launch date [for the Russian Zvezda Service Module] will be set at the conclusion of the Joint Program Review between NASA and the Russian Aviation and Space Agency and the General Designer's Review of launch preparations by RSC-Energia in Moscow, currently set for September 27-29, 1999."

"The restriction on "extraordinary payments" in connection with the International Space Station (ISS) could negatively impact ISS assembly and operations without advancing U.S. nonproliferation goals. Despite technical changes and exemptions, the determination standard for "extraordinary payments" is far too broad, making compliance inherently subjective and ill-defined. The restriction could hinder NASA's ability to work with Russian organizations that are cooperating with the United States to enforce nonproliferation measures, as well as strengthen elements in Russia that oppose Russian participation in the U.S.-led ISS. It could be viewed by other ISS partners as a unilateral U.S. action in a multilateral program. Finally, it could result in significant cost growth and schedule delay to the United States and other ISS partners by restricting needed access to Russia's unique capabilities and expertise, and constrain NASA's ability to rapidly respond to emergent safety and operational requirements on the ISS. "

"F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-WI), Chairman of the House Science Committee and an original co-sponsor of the bill, said during today's House debate, "The bill does not change Russia's rights or obligations as a partner in the International Space Station. It does not prohibit NASA from making payments to the Russian Space Agency if the Russian government is doing what it promises, namely stopping the flow of technology to Iran. It only prohibits NASA from making payments if Russian is increasing the threat to our friends, allies, and troops in the Middle East and Europe."

Editor's note: H.R. 1883 is scheduled for a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives this morning at 10:00 am. The bill is scheduled for "suspension," meaning that the rules are suspended and the bill cannot be amended, but a super-majority is required for passage. Such bills are generally not controversial and H.R. 1883 is expected to pass unanimously.

Among other things, the bill prohibits NASA from paying Russia for the International Space Station unless the President determines that it is the policy of the Russian government to prevent the transfer of weapons of mass destruction or ballistic missile technology to Iran, that the Russian government is taking steps to implement/enforce that policy, and that the Russian Space Agency and entities under its jurisdiction have not in the year prior transferred any WMD or ballistic missile technology to Iran.

"F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-WI), Chairman of the House Science Committee and an original co-sponsor of the bill, stated, "Make no mistake, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles to rogue states that may threaten U.S. interests will not be condoned. This bill will help strengthen existing law and policies ensuring that NASA does not, even unwittingly, subsidize Russian assistance to Iran's weapons proliferation efforts.""

The House Science Committee marked up and then passed H.R. 1883 on a 41-0 unanimous - ergo bipartisan - vote. Reps Lampson and Jackson-Lee withdrew their amendments, with Rep. Jackson-Lee indicating that the amendments offered by Reps Hall and Weldon addressed her concerns. Although he voted to pass the bill, Rep. Lampson re-stated a commitment to strike section 6 of the bill at a later time. The Committee adopted amendments offered by Reps Hall, Weldon, Nethercutt (offered for Rep. Nethercutt by Rep. Weldon). A sixth amendment, offered by Rep. Capuano, was withdrawn.

The House International Relations Committee marked up H.R. 1883, the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 1999, this morning. The Committee adopted a Gilman-Gejdenson amendment that sought to clarify some existing ambiguities. The Committee also adopted a Brady amendment identical to that offered by Rep. Dave Weldon (R-FL) in the Science Committee which provides for exceptions for the ISS Service Module (Section 6 which deals with ISS).

The Committee passed the bill on a unanimous 33 to 0 vote. Howard Berman (D-CA) remarked that the Administration's arguments against the bill didn't carry much weight and that it was better to hold The Russian Space Agency accountable for the organizations under its jurisdiction than not to.

Editor's note: This Markup session was orignially planned for 5 August 1999, but was cancelled at the last minute at the request of the White House. Word has it that Sandy Berger, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs at the National Security Council, has taken a personal interest in H.R. 1883 - and the stalling thereof. It would seem that the White House is using every tactic they can come up with to delay consideration of this piece of legislation - hopefully such that consideration drifts into election time next year, and thus into limbo as a new Congress is elected (and the need for re-introduction).

The longer it takes H.R. 1883 to get passed, the more difficult it will be to pass since other things will crowd it off the schedule. The White House has already been rather successful with with this strategy in the last Congress (on a different, but related Bill) and have already managed to delay things nearly 3 months in the House Committee on International Relations.

The Clinton Administration clearly does not want to be saddled with the reporting requirements in H.R. 1883 nor the effect it might have on the ISS and relations with Russia. As such, they want to push this potential headache as far off of the current Administration's radar screen as possible.

Time: 2:30 PM, Place 2318 Rayburn House Office Building (Webcast)

Mark-up session agenda:

• H.R. 356, To Provide for the Conveyance of Certain Property from the United States to Stanislaus County, California;
• H.R. 1753, Methane Hydrate Research and Development Act of 1999;
• H.R. 2086, Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Act;
• H.R. 1883, Iran Nonproliferation Act of 1999;
• H.R. 2607 ,Commercial Space Transportation Competitiveness Act of 1999; and
• H.R. 1744, National Institute of Standards and Technology Authorization Act of 1999.

"I/Schumacher: Mr. Schumacher reported on the following: 1) Russia and China signed a Space Cooperation Protocol in four area--applied space research, long-term program for piloted research, fundamental research, and separate elements connected with the creation of spacecraft. Mr. Ilya Klebanov, Deputy Prime Minister for Military-Industrial Complex, stated itwas feasible that Russia and China could "embark on" a project of a joint orbiting space station."

Editor's wild speculation: Just what might this "joint orbiting space station" be? Certainly not the ISS (the only space station officially in Russia's future) since the prospect of any joint project between the US (an ISS partner) and China any time soon is non-existant. A new vehicle launched by China (who has yet to put a person into space by itself) and Russia? Unlikely since Russia is broke. That leaves one other possibility: Mir - a space station already in space. All it would take is $250 million.

Hmmm. ... Isn't China's new manned spacecraft based upon Russia's Soyuz?

"Members of the Mir's last full-time crew warned Monday that the Russian space station may spin out of control now that they have left it unmanned."

"In a few days TsUP will switch off the Ts.V.M.-1, the main computer, and stop the gyrodynes. Thus the complex will come in the free drift and the BUPO (Unit for control, docking and orientation) has to take over (or did this already).

Let us keep our fingers crossed!"

"August 23 marked the final frontier for Russian space station Mir as its last crew of cosmonauts landed safely on Earth. The cosmonauts, however, will live on through a national advertising campaign from Internet company, more.com. more.com went "out of this world" to shoot the cosmonauts via satellite from mission control in Kazakhstan to prove they really are the world's largest health and beauty store. To welcome the cosmonauts home and re-acclimate them to life back on planet Earth, more.com is sending each cosmonaut a customized package of health, beauty and wellness products featuring the items they missed most during their galactic journey. The top longed-for products: shaving cream, dental floss and bar soap. "

Editor's note: Huh? They landed on 23 August (Monday)!? Then who is still aboard Mir?

"...independent experts wonder if the departure of two Russian cosmonauts and a French researcher will be the final farewell for the last gem of the once-vaunted Soviet space program. Another crew is training for a short mission to help prepare the 13 1/2-year-old station for its dive through Earth's atmosphere. Russian officials also are scrambling for cash to save the 130-ton station. "

"While the visitors study a Mir model on the control room floor, employees wonder in whispers how much the tourists paid in bribes to get into this once highly secretive compound, and whose pockets that money now lines. "

"On Saturday, after 13 1/2 years, more than 77,000 loops around the Earth and 1,600 breakdowns, the Mir is scheduled to bid farewell to its final full-time crew. "

Editor's note: Jim Oberg sent the following in an email to a number of people today - it represents my sentiments as well:

"Tomorrow evening (EDT), for the first time in almost a decade, there will be NO human beings in space. Hopefully sometime next year, the continuous human presence in space will resume, and after that point, NEVER cease."

"Although some of the seven American volunteers had it tougher than others, "it was certainly not easy for any one of them,'' says NASA's Jim Van Laak.

"They did not anticipate before the mission ... how hard they had to work or how deep they had to go within themselves to be successful. But they all did and all grew as a result of it.''

Editor's note: Gee Jim, let us not forget how ill-prepared some of you folks on the ground often were for many of the events that transpired - both cultural and technical.

"What is truly astonishing is how ill-prepared both America and Russia were to implement the Shuttle-Mir program. As the book unfolds it becomes painfully clear how little America knew about Russian spacecraft or operations and how misinformed Russia was about the expectations NASA had for their $400 million payment. As such, both countries rushed head on to make the agreement work and immediately encountered problems.

Just as spacecraft collide in this book, so do cultures. The Russians are seen by many Americans as brutish, sexist, and in some extreme cases downright uncaring. Indeed, Burrough quotes Jim Van Laak, Frank Culbertson's deputy as saying that "the Russians simply don't place as high a premium on human life as we do". The Russians are often cited as seeing more than their share of the "ugly American" syndrome wherein NASA folks show up on Russian soil expecting all of the comforts of home and acting as the senior partner in the Shuttle Mir endeavor by virtue of having paid for services.

"Overbrook Entertainment, a production unit of Universal, said Wednesday it picked Geoff Rodkey to adapt Bryan Burrough's book Dragonfly: NASA and the Crisis Aboard the Mir."

"Russia hopes that its planned Expedition Zero crew can board the service module before it docks and manually control the procedure if that is required. [James] Oberg says there are several repair jobs the crew may be able to do: "A few weeks ago controllers had to shut down one of the ISS batteries because it was not functioning properly, and there are several other problems with the station. It was designed to be unmanned for only a few months at most, and it will have been left for over a year when the next visitors arrive. "

"Russian Space Agency spokesman Sergei Gorbunov called rumors that Russian cosmonauts currently training for a contingency mission may be also secretly preparing for a long-term occupation of the orbital facility "total nonsense."

"Commander Afanasyev said that he did not like that MIR would fly unmanned so long. In one of the press conferences the eventual 28th final Main expedition was mentioned. Thusfar this is still unsure and depends on funding."

"If one of the all-Russian contingency crews ends up staying aboard the station for months before the official first crew, it could set off a political hue and cry back on Earth among congressional lawmakers who are already critical of Russia's role in the space station."

UPDATE: This Markup session has been cancelled at the request of the White House.

Editor's note: word has it that Sandy Berger, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs at the National Security Council, has taken a personal interest in H.R. 1883 - and the stalling thereof. It would seem that the White House is using every tactic they can come up with to delay consideration of this piece of legislation - hopefully such that consideration drifts into election time next year, and thus into limbo as a new Congress is elected (and the need for re-introduction).

The longer it takes H.R. 1883 to get passed, the more difficult it will be to pass since other things will crowd it off the schedule. The White House has already been rather successful with with this strategy in the last Congress (on a different, but related Bill) and have already managed to delay things nearly 3 months in the House Committee on International Relations.

The Clinton Administration clearly does not want to be saddled with the reporting requirements in H.R. 1883 nor the effect it might have on the ISS and relations with Russia. As such, they want to push this potential headache as far off of the current Administration's radar screen as possible.

Mark-up session agenda:

• H.R. 356, To Provide for the Conveyance of Certain Property from the United States to Stanislaus County, California;
• H.R. 1753, Methane Hydrate Research and Development Act of 1999;
• H.R. 2086, Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Act;
• H.R. 1883, Iran Nonproliferation Act of 1999;
• H.R. 2607 ,Commercial Space Transportation Competitiveness Act of 1999; and
• H.R. 1744, National Institute of Standards and Technology Authorization Act of 1999.

"On a more measured note, Iran has recently called attention to its development of satellites and possible cooperation with Russia on mapping from space to detect land mines. While some U.S. experts have warned of a pending Iranian missile test with Russian help, Iranian officials have deflected the criticism and appear to be suggesting that programs be only for peaceful pursuits."

"According to the report, a group called the People's Charity Fund for the preservation of the Mir space station is pushing a plan developed by the Moscow Aviation Institute to build the new station."

"We will continue to take action against these entities ourselves. In that regard, I want to announce that today the United States is imposing economic penalties against three additional Russian entities -- the Moscow Aviation Institute, Mendeleyev University, and NIKIET, or the Scientific Research and Design Institute of Power Technology -- for providing sensitive missile or nuclear assistance to Iran. Last July we took action against seven others. Let me be very clear: The Administration has authority to act against entities that violate international nonproliferation standards, and we will use this authority to protect our security. "

"Unfortunately, the Russians continue their proliferation activities, as the Administration admitted in July 1998 when it sanctioned seven Russian aerospace enterprises, one of which reports directly to the Russian Space Agency. Yet, having indicated that the Russians are proliferating, the State Department wrote me, "[the imposition of penalties under the Executive Order on Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction as amended in July 1998] does not reflect any judgment as to whether the activities of concern are inconsistent with the Missile Technology Control Regime."

Editor's note: Hmm, didn't the White House say that the Moscow Aviation Institute , listed in the sanctions, had nothing to do with building Russian space stations? Now they want to build one.

"Russia's top arms dealer denied Monday a report that the government exported anti-aircraft missiles to Yugoslavia shortly before NATO began its bombing campaign.

Jane's Defense Weekly, based in Britain, reported Monday that Russia shipped parts for the S-300 surface-to-air missile system to the government of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. The report said Russians hid the components in railway cars full of scrap metal."

Editor's note: It seems that week does not go by without some new allegation that the Russians have been caught selling advanced weaponry to nations and organizations hostile to U.S interests. Small wonder Congress seems to be gathering additional support for H.R. 1883, the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 1999 - a measure which would preclude funds transfers to Russia unless it is certified by the President that Russia is not providing missile technology to Iran.

"Two space stations, one old, one new, circle the Earth, in orbits deliberately kept as far apart as possible. But the ties that bind the two, Russia's Mir and the multinational International Space Station, which is primarily funded by the United States, are becoming ever more distressingly tangled. "

"Russia's aging Mir space station may have won a reprieve thanks to a film director who wants to shoot part of a movie on the 13-year-old spacecraft."

Editor's note: this is what - the third time this rumor has drifted around?

"Russian companies have worked extensively with Washington state-based Boeing on developing the International Space Station and Sea Launch, a platform in the Pacific Ocean slated to begin sending commercial satellites into orbit later this summer. Sea Launch uses Ukrainian Zenit rockets with engines built in Russia."

"Stepashin will meet President Clinton on Tuesday after two sessions with Gore on trade, science, space and other topics that are the business of their joint commission on economic and technological cooperation."

"According to ITAR-Tass, the radioactive material inside the container was nuclear reactor fuel. The substance was believed to have been stolen from the Baikonur cosmodrome, a space complex where Konkov worked on the Kazak steppe that Russia uses for most of its commercial and military rocket launches, the report said."

"Today, 23.07.99 at 1106UTC, Afanasyev and Avdeyev opened the exit hatch of the air-lock of Module Kvant-2 thus starting their EVA."

"Russian space scientists yesterday linked interplanetary shockwaves to increases in heart attacks and car accidents."

Editor's note: Huh? Does OLMSA know about this!?

"Progress-M42 was launched exactly on the planned time: 16.37.33UTC. All systems of the freighter are working normally (Vsye v norme). (Reported by TsUP at 1735UTC) Now waiting for the transmissions at about 1935UTC."

"The Soyuz booster rocket was due to take off from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 12:37 p.m. EDT, two days later than scheduled. It will transport a Progress cargo craft with food, oxygen and a navigation system to Mir's Russian-French crew."

"Russia needs Kazakstan to waive its ban on space launches from the Baikonur cosmodrome so it can send food, fuel and equipment supplies to the Mir space station, Russian space officials said Wednesday.

But the head of the Kazak Aerospace Agency, Meirbek Moldabekov, said "not a single launch'' will be made until authorities have determined what caused Monday's crash of a Russian military satellite, the Interfax news agency reported."

"Russian news reports detailed a frightening scene as the rocket fell from the sky. One person said a 440-pound chunk of debris slammed into the courtyard of a home in Kazakstan.

"We watched as five or six explosions (filled) the sky soon after the launch," Amantai Khasenov, a deputy mayor, told the Reuters news agency. No injuries were reported."

"[cosmonaut Vitaly] Sevastyanov said $50 million would cover the costs of running the Mir for a year. Space officials earlier estimated the costs at between $200 million and $250 million, but recently indicated that the figure had decreased significantly since the ruble has lost much of its value in an economic crisis. "

"In Kara's film, the Russians are also abandoning the Mir. But a renegade cosmonaut refuses to leave, saying he would orbit the Earth for the rest of his days. Ground controllers decide to send up a woman to lure him back."

"Everything depends on money and this (film) is all about huge sums of money,'' a Russian Space Agency spokesman said."

Editor's note: Here we go again ...

"These days the Russian space program is a shell of its ambitions, crippled by the general economic decline, by the lack of public interest, by political stresses. Baikonur is participating in the assembly of a new, American-led international space station, but the Russian role is widely viewed as a kind of welfare program to help prevent the complete collapse of Russia's economy. Those Russians who are not indifferent now tend to regard spaceflight as a costly Government folly or, worse, as yet another arena in which the arrogant Americans lord it over their defeated cold war rivals. "

"A fund-raising effort to save Russia's Mir space station from being abandoned early next year began slowly Tuesday, with the first donations yielding the humble equivalent of $80."

Editor's note: That's $80 down, $49,999,920 to go.

"[former cosmonauts] Sevastyanov and Titov, currently members of the lower house of Russian parliament, said that some Russian factories, as well as Libyan and Iraqi businessmen, have promised to contribute to the fund."

"[Cosmonaut Sergei] Krikalyov predicted that Russia's space agency would try to keep the Mir up and put off a decision for as long as possible."

"In my own opinion it seems like it's more risky to leave it unmanned,'' said Mike Baker, the deputy director of NASA's Johnson Space Center who is based in Moscow. "It could cause problems down the road, possibly.''

Editor's note: Let's see how long it takes for the Russians to start pressuring the U.S. for money so as to safely deorbit Mir - with the ulterior motive that keeping it aloft (and manned) would be a safer thing to do .....

"A final decision on whether to abandon the Mir space station or try to keep it in orbit will be made next week, a space official said Thursday."

Editor' s note: does the word "final" actually represent what they said in Russian? It seems we've heard such pronouncements before about Mir's fate - only to hear (at the very last moment) that Mir will stay aloft after all.

"A British businessman who promised to pay $100 million to fly on Russia's Mir space station missed his chance because he was too tall, officials said Thursday."

Editor's note: AH, the old "too tall" excuse. The last time they used this was when Scott Parazynski was suddenly too tall (after training in Russia for months) to fly in a Soyuz. Curiously, the U.S. was hit up for some money after that such that the Soyuz vehicles could be "modified". You would think that by now someone in Russia could look at a prospective Soyuz passenger and say "Nyet - too tall".

NASA Watch reader comment: "Perhaps the Russians should just build a sign at their training facility (like we have at amusement parks by certain rides) which says something like, "If you are taller than this mark or shorter than this mark, you cannot ride the MIR..."

" [Peter] Llewellyn, whose primary business is in waste composting both in the United States and now in Russia, has been dubbed by the Russian press "The Garbage King."

The Aussies' name for him is less nice: "Lord of the Loo."

"... space officials announced Wednesday that they had finally given up on their latest scheme to fund Mir. Star City chief Gen. Pyotr Klimuk said the decision was prompted by Llewellyn's failure to pay for the flight, the Interfax news agency reported. "

"Regardless of the money issue, the station will be flying all the way through February of the year 2000,'' [Boris Ostroumov, deputy director general of the Russian Space Agency] said."

"The man confronted the male paramedic and then kicked a female paramedic in the abdomen, knocking her through the ambulance door and to the pavement, the arrest report said.

Neither medical worker was seriously hurt, said Orlando Domingez, spokesman for Fire Rescue agency.

The arrest report indicated that alcohol may have been a factor in the incident. Sources said Lobachev's blood-alcohol was 0.268 percent, more than three times the legal limit for alcohol impairment."

Editor's note: this article includes what seems to be a police photo of Lobachev in a t-shirt. He does not look at all happy.

"Vladimir Lobachev, who was here for Thursday's planned launch of shuttle Discovery, left because of the incident. It was the best thing for him to do under the circumstances, said NASA spokeswoman Debra Rahn. "

"Vladimir Lobachev was released on a $1,000 bond from the Brevard County Detention Center on Monday but stands accused of attacking several emergency medical workers. "

"According to an arrest report, police arrived at the Cocoa Beach pier Sunday to find Lobachev - semiconscious, face down in the sand, and wearing boxer shorts."

"The Russians simply did not pay as much attention to acoustics as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration would have liked, [Jerry] Goodman said. (The American-made Unity module, for instance, has a noise level of 58 decibels.)"

Editor's note: of course, Jerry, the modules provided by all other ISS partners are expected to meet baselined program requirements.

"[Peter] Llewellyn has said he isn't putting his own money into the deal - instead he intends to raise money by having investors sponsor his trip, and then the money would be used to fund a children's hospital, to be affiliated with Energia. The company is saying he promised to give them the money directly.

Some space officials have warned Energia that it will get nothing from Llewellyn. He once faced swindling charges in the United States but the accusations were dropped when Llewellyn agreed to pay $41,000 in restitution to a bilked businessman."

Editor's note: I don't know about all of you folks, but I would think that the Russians could find someone a bit more newsworthy to fly on Mir to attract investors than this Llewellyn fellow. Richard Branson from Virgin Air for example - someone who actually has money to invest - and a track record of doing so.

"If we don't find the new investment, we'll take out loans, not to bring down Mir, but to continue its work,'' [Yuri Semyonov, head of the Energiya] said."

"The competent Russian bodies have been authorized to conduct an analysis of space technology used in NATO's armed operations against Yugoslavia,'' Yeltsin said in a statement. ''Based on the results, proposals are to be made on elaborating a program to create and use corresponding means and weapons."

"Russia's civilian space agency has agreed to help the military track missiles in space and provide early warning of attacks, an official said Wednesday."

Editor's note: I seem to recall a number of people at the White House proclaiming a few months back that there was no linkage between RSA's ISS participation and the missile proliferation activitites of some Russian aerospace companies. That may well be, but these recently announced activities, especially those wherein RSA openly seeks to track military missiles, makes one wonder how accurately RSA's military ties are being portrayed.

"A British businessman who has offered to pay for a trip on Russia's aging, cash-strapped Mir space station met with space officials Monday in Moscow to discuss the flight, a news report said."

"Soyuz-204, the craft paid for in part by NASA, has just been assembled and is undergoing testing before being shipped to the Baikonur launch site. However, the Russian Space Agency (RSA) is to send it to Mir rather than use it, as NASA had hoped, to ferry the first crew to the ISS."

"Insurance for the service module would cost at least 3 million rubles ($125,000), said Yuri Grigoryev, deputy chief of the Energia company, which is outfitting the segment."

"A Russian-built component that will house the International Space Stations first crews doesn't meet NASAs standard for surviving collisions with orbiting space junk, an outside analyst said Thursday."

"News clippings from Australian and British papers describe [prospective Mir passenger Peter Llewellyn] as a flamboyant Londoner who has over the years claimed to be a British secret agent, a Welsh lord and a British knight who traces his ancestry to one of the signers of the Magna Carta. He also claims to control family trust funds in Switzerland and France."

"It was not clear if Llewelyn even had the money. Two years ago, Llewelyn faced five counts of theft for allegedly swindling $38,000 from a business partner in Pittsburgh, Pa. He paid the money back and the case was dropped. "

"A British businessman has agreed to pay $100 million for a week-long ride on Russia's Mir space station, giving the aging outpost a new lease on life, Russian officials said today. But a spokesman for the nation's top space authority expressed doubts, saying the deal may collapse like many previous attempts to raise private funds to keep the Mir aloft."

"...the British Broadcasting Corp. quoted Llewellyn as saying he would not pay Energia anything to fly on Mir. He contended that his orbital trip would be aimed at generating publicity and sponsorship for a hospital he intended to build in Moscow, according to the BBC."

"The businessmen said to be about to pay $100m to fly on Mir has denied that he will give any money to the company which owns the ageing space station."

Editor's note: Once again, RSA and Energiya are in serious back-peddling mode trying to dismiss yet another piece of false information they generated. Is this regular stream of Russian fraud-based PR what we can expect throughout the entire ISS program?

"Monday, Energiya head Yuri Semyonov said Mir would not be retired this year under any circumstances, an announcement likely to increase tensions with the United States.

"The Mir station will continue to fly in 1999 and in the beginning of 2000,'' he said. ``If we don't find new investment we will take out loans, not to bring down Mir, but to continue its work, even if we have to stop manned work on the station for a temporary period.''

Semyonov said efforts to find private sponsors was continuing. Koptev revealed for the first time that the cost of operating Mir had fallen to less than $100 million a year, down from about $200-$250 million before the August devaluation of the Russian rouble."

Editor's note: When you hear things like this you really ought to wonder who is actually in charge of Russia's program (Koptev or Semyonov) and whether anything either of them says can be considered to be the truth.

"Russian space officials are to begin preparations to raise Mir's orbit. It is a move that will be seen as a strong indication that Russia does not plan to abandon Mir later this summer. "

"If you ask the Russians, 'Can you meet a September launch date?' They would say, 'Yes, with the proper funding,' " said Kyle Herring, a NASA spokesman for the station program. "But the reality is they have not been getting the proper funding."

Editor's note:This quote typifies the current dysfunctional relationship between the US and Russia. We ask them questions (already knowing the real answers) but do so in a fashion so as to allow the Russians to continue to lie in public - to their benefit. We then go along with their version of reality. Then, when the time is right, we change the question, get a new answer from the Russians, and then 'announce' the new answer as if it were new - i.e."news". Meanwhile, everyone already knew the real answer quite some time ago.

Here's another example of ISSspeak, as practiced by the Russians:

"On an ironic note, Russian Space Agency chief Yuri Koptev presented a model of the new space station to Yeltsin during the award-giving ceremony.

"But shall we keep the Mir aloft?" the somewhat-stunned Yeltsin asked.

"Yes, we shall," Koptev answered with a smile.

But he sounded far less certain when speaking to reporters after the award ceremony, saying that private investors have yet to come up with funds to pay for the Mir's operation. "

Editor's note: This is typical of the two-faced approach Koptev uses when talking to the news media. When he's talking to domestic Russian media, he is a staunch defender of keeping Mir aloft, thus playing to Russian nationalist sentiments. Yet when it is external media he's talking to, he is far less committed to extending Mir and much more committed to ISS, thus soothing fears held by the providers of the money (U.S.) which has kept him funded - and employed.

One has to wonder how long he is going to be able to keep playing this game.

Editor's note: I am surprised to see how lax the standards have become these days for someone to be labeled as being "a leading American space expert "....

Editor's note: Several NASA Watch readers have alerted me to the following: The Russian Space Agency has incurred the wrath and ire of amateur radio operators world wide by having contracted with the Swiss watch company "Swatch" to deploy a small French built satellite which will transmit advertising and messages sent in from Swatch website users.

The satellite will transmit a narrow band FM signal in the 145.80 MHz - 146.00 MHz portion of the two meter amateur (HAM radio) band. This is in apparent violation of International Telecommunications Union treaty and U.S. FCC regulations. For further information see the Swatch Protest and Boycott Website.

"Russian Space Agency chief Yuri Koptev refused to name any of the investors, but said a Canadian citizen of Russian origin has already donated $100,000 to finance Mir's operation."

Editor's note: Yuri this is starting to get old. Face it; there are no investors. You're just trying another stall maneuver so as to further delay Mir's deorbit to force the US into yet another corner wherein we have to bail out your bankrupt space agency once again.

"In Moscow, Interfax news agency quoted military sources as saying parts of the fighter had already been flown to Russia. Interfax quoted sources in the defense ministry and the armed forces' general staff as saying the parts had been brought to Russia aboard a transport plane, but gave no further details. A defense ministry spokesman said he had no such information. "

Editor's note: MSNBC reports that Yugoslavia has indeed given this material to Russian representatives in Belgrade. I wonder what will happen if/when this highly classified US stealth technology finds its way into the some of the same Russian aerospace firms working on ISS ....

"The crew aboard Russia's orbiting Mir space station will have to cancel at least two spacewalks because of the country's financial problems, an official said Tuesday."

"In the rushed hope of manning the International Space Station before the end of the millennium, American space officials have reportedly agreed to a Russian proposal to move the launch of the first crew to October, four months earlier than previously planned."

"Sea Launch is a highly innovative project both in its technology and in the international partnership that created it. Boeing, which owns 40 percent of the venture, is in charge of launching a 20-story Ukrainian rocket, powered by a Russian engine, off a launch pad bobbing in the Pacific Ocean. The launch is to be controlled by U.S. and Russian mission-control computers installed in a Norwegian-built ship.

Editor's note: Gee, this description of Sea Launch sounds like the International Space Station: a sophisticated international program where each country makes a unique contribution of science and technology - a collaboration that is based upon a transfer of technology between all involved.

I find it odd that the Clinton Administration pushes NASA to keep Russia in the ISS program for overtly political reasons - a program where immense amounts of space technology transfer occurs - yet they go after Sea Launch because some space technology may have been transfered. Certainly there is a difference between the two programs, but in this case it is the same companies on both sides of the equation doing a joint project in space. No wonder people are confused.

Meanhile, I also find it odd that members of Congress "praise the [Sea Launch] project because it keeps those [Russian] technicians employed, discouraging them from working for such nations as Iran." while dumping on NASA and the White House who try and make the very same claims for the ISS program. C'mon folks, let's be consistent: either American-backed (governmental and commercial) space projects with Russia DO or DON'T stiffle Russian deals with rouge states.

Clearly there is a major disconnect between all involved. When is it O.K. to help the Russians, and when is it NOT O.K.? There's a real policy vacuum here folks: technical decisions are being made for political reasons and political decisions are being made for technical reasons.

"This document represents NASA Mir science program results to date. Each investigation is summarized, and includes the objectives, operations, results, and conclusions. A publications list is available for some investigations. The document is in (Adobe Acrobat) format and has a size of 402KB."

Editor's Note: I have given this document a quick glance. I'm rather impressed, and will comment in greater detail at a later date, but am rather annoyed at the number of experiments for which no publications are "expected".

"NASA has released the English version of the "Phase 1 Program Joint Report" for publication. This document describes, in detail, the joint activities of the U.S. and Russia during Phase 1 of the International Space Station (ISS) program which involved the U.S. Space Shuttle and Russia's Mir. The document is in (Adobe Acrobat) format and has a size of 4.6MB."

"I think in the near future, as soon as we complete our obligations on the service module, it will become clear that we are not the only ones with delays,'' Koptev said.''

Editor's note: Koptev is quite right. A preoccupation in the media (and NASA Watch too) with Russian ISS delays has allowed Boeing to coast along and take care of its own delays and $800 million+ cost overruns without all of the press attention they would otherwise have "enjoyed". This situation will not last forever.

"Russia's Mir space station might be discarded as early as August because investors who were supposedly planning to fund it have backed out, the nation's space chief said today."

"Russia's early-warning defense against missile attack, a key aspect of the hair-trigger doctrine of nuclear deterrence, is deteriorating because Moscow cannot replenish the array of satellites it needs to monitor U.S. missile silos and submarines, according to Russian and Western security analysts."

Editor's Note: If the Clinton Administration is so determined to provide foreign aid to Russia to discourage weapons proliferation and usage (their rationale behind Russia's particiation in ISS) , shouldn't they at least prioritize the risks first? As far as risk of war goes, I suspect the money spent keeping the Russians in the ISS program would be far better spent keeping Russian ICBMs in their silos.

"Keynote speaker Linenger relates his experiences aboard the space station Mir from January to May 1997. He describes how cross-cultural teamwork enabled him to overcome major disasters in space and how he and his fellow Mir cosmonauts struggled to avoid life-threatening situations and learned to work together and rely on each other's strengths."

Southern Russia and Kazakstan first, then Europe: London to Frankfurt, 17:50 to :54 GMT

North America Winnepeg to Quebec, 23:54- :58 GMT
Vancouver-Calgary-n. Montana 01:30 - :34 GMT Feb 5

Areas in the v. narrow path will see multiple moon brightness for a brief period. Observers north and south of path will still see enormously bright (mag -3 to -5??) reflection.

" In Moscow, Russian space agency spokesman Konstantin Kreidenko told Reuters by telephone Friday there had been no change in schedule."

"NASA last week quoted Russian space officials as saying the launch of the module that is to provide life-support systems for the 16-nation station would be postponed until September because it needs more testing.."

"But Russia is too cash-poor to meet the commitment, says Christopher Faranetta, managing director of the U.S. office of Energia, the Russian space company that owns Mir.

''I don't think (the United States) should look to the Russians to finance their part of the station,'' Faranetta says. ''That's not going to happen.''

" Russia's space agency denied Friday it had postponed the launch of the living quarters of the International Space Station to late September from July."

Editor's note: O.K., I'm confused. Is the Service Module launch being delayed, or is it still expected to be on orbit in July 1999?

"The fallacy in trashing Mir is that we are using aerospace engineering standards when we should be dealing with it as real estate," argues Rick Tumlinson, who heads the Space Frontier Foundation, which advocates rapid commercial development of space. Mir should be refurbished and kept on orbit, rather than sending it plummeting toward Earth to burn up in the atmosphere. "

22 January 1999: Mir stays in space, BBC