"Russia will use an unmanned cargo spacecraft to safely drop the aging Mir into the Pacific in February, a top space official said Wednesday, seeking to allay fears the space station will make an uncontrolled plunge that could rain tons of flaming debris on populated areas."

"Dalia de Palazzo was at home, ironing, when, about one o'clock on a February morning in 1991, she heard a horrific bang. Glowing in a crater in the patio of her home, 300 kilometres north-west of Buenos Aires, she found a "washing machine-sized" piece of what had been the Soviet Union's abandoned Salyut 7 space station."

"Russian space managers have changed the makeup of a two-man cosmonaut crew on standby for a flight to the abandoned Mir space station in the event of any future emergency that might cause an uncontrolled re-entry."

"Contact with the unmanned Russian Mir space station was briefly lost early today after a computer in the lab's motion control system allowed the station to drift out of its normal orientation, depleting on-board batteries."

"This morning, Russian Aviation and Space Agency hosted a meeting of Transnational Committee on mission support and operation of MIR space station. Taking into account the fact that MIR space station is in a fully operational condition, the Committee has confirmed that its operation can be further extended."

"After decades of concealing the problem, the Russian space agency, Rosaviakosmos, has conceded the regular jettisoning of sections of rocket engine on this region of Siberia and up to 20 other areas in Russia may have a harmful effect on the local population and has agreed to fund preliminary research."

"Russia's State Duma lower house of parliament criticized government plans Friday to discard the aging Mir space station early next year. Deputies overwhelmingly supported a motion condemning the ''premature end to operations aboard the Mir orbital station, and ditching it is a poorly thought out and unjustified step.''"

"The United States will consider sanctions if it cannot talk Russia out of scrapping a pact not to sell conventional arms to Iran on Dec. 1, a U.S. official said on Wednesday. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov informed Washington of Moscow's plan to withdraw from the pact, negotiated by Vice-President Al Gore four days before the Nov. 7 U.S. presidential election, the official said, confirming a report by Washington Post columnist Jim Hoagland."

"NBC had big plans for an out-of-this-world reality TV series from the producer of ``Survivor'' where American contestants would compete to go up in space on the Russian space station Mir. One big problem: Russia's Cabinet decided last week that it would send the deteriorating Mir hurtling into the Pacific Ocean in February. NBC wasn't quite ready to admit Monday that its big idea had crashed."

"However, Auckland Observatory director Ian Griffin put his faith in the Russians over their American counterparts. "If anyone can do it the Russians can . . . I'm sure they'll do a better job than the Americans did in 1979 when it (Skylab) crashed into Australia," he said today."

"Still, Burnett recently voiced his confidence in his own space-camp TV series, if not necessarily in Mir. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Burnett said he was "90 percent sure that Mir will be available to us." And even if it wasn't, he said, "We have options." One option would include testing a Russian agreement that would allow previous contracts for Mir to be honored at the new International Space Station. But he acknowledged that "that's probably an outside chance."

"A MirCorp spokesman in Virginia told Reuters on Friday that despite Koptev's announcement, the final decision was not expected for a couple more weeks, and would come from Russian President Vladimir Putin's office. "MirCorp is realistic this is in the final decision phase, but will work to the very end to keep Mir operational,'' said the spokesman Jeffery Lenorovitz."

"Another big loser is NBC, which had paid more than $35 million for a reality-based television show that was to be named Destination Mir and produced by Survivor creator Mark Burnett. The show was to feature contestants vying for an opportunity to travel to Mir. In its desperate attempt to replicate the reality-based programming success of CBS, NBC did not sound flustered by Mir's imminent demise. ``If [Burnett] said he would deliver us a show, he'll deliver us a show,'' said NBC spokeswoman Diane Herzog, declining to elaborate on what Burnett's options are. "

"The Russian Cabinet has decided to end the speculation about Mir's fate and send it back to Earth. Despite attempts by MirCorp including the financing of several missions to Mir, the Russian government has decided that there is simply not enough commercial interest to generate the funds needed to keep Mir aloft and operational. While this announcement seems to have the authenticity and finality one would expect for such a major decision it may not be the last word on this topic. If one thing can be said for Mir, it has an amazing track record when it comes to cheating death."

"A company exhibiting the Russian space shuttle at Darling Harbour has run into trading difficulties and blames the Olympics and a post-Games credit card hangover. A voluntary administrator has been appointed to Buran Space Corporation, which took out a nine-year lease on the space shuttle and spent $5 milllion bringing it to Sydney and preparing it for display."

"Russia may not be able to produce all of the Progress capsules it has promised the International Space Station program on schedule and is considering use of a second control module already under construction as a fallback, according to the chief spokesman for Yuri Koptiev, head of the Russian Aerospace Agency. "

"Russian officials seem all but ready to get rid of their aging Mir space station. But NBC and one private company are fighting to make sure their multimillion-dollar dreams won't drop from orbit like a flaming hunk of Soviet-era space trash."

"Despite MirCorp's assurances, the Russian Cabinet scheduled a meeting Thursday to consider earmarking $27 million to bring the Mir down, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. Valery Lyndin said that another Progress with 1.7 tons of fuel, twice the regular amount, would have to be launched to the Mir to send it on a controlled descent into the ocean. "

"The investors, MirCorp, have bought the rights to sell tickets to the public to fly on the space station. "MirCorp unfortunately won't find the money,'' [Rosaviakosmos spokesman Sergei] Gorbunov said. "The most they've can come up with is about $40 million and we need $200-250 million."

A breakfast titled "Space Entrepreneurs: What's Up Next in Space", sponsored by the National Space Society, was held at the International Space Symposium. Representatives from a number of companies who have media deals in space (Dreamtime, SpaceMedia, SkyCorp, Discovery.com, and MirCorp) were invited to describe their company's plans and progress.

"Jeff Lenorovitz from InfoWest spoke representing MirCorp and discussed MirCorp's current plans for the utilization of Mir. The past few weeks have seen a series of back and forth shifts regarding Mir's future. One moment some Russian official is saying that it will be dumped into the Pacific - the next moment MirCorp is announcing that it will soon make an initial public offering (IPO) for MirCorp.

Certainly, both fates cannot be correct. Why raise money to operate a space station that will be at the bottom of the Pacific in a few months? Yet, given the way that Russia and its domestic news media regularly use each other to further specific agendas, both seemingly opposite fates can actually be valid. The truth is simple - where Mir is concerned, money is short."

Editor's note: According to Dreamtime' CEO Bill Foster, the Dreamtime logo is supposed to appear on the rocket carrying the Expedition 1 crew to the ISS.

"The Foundation for the Non-governmental Development of Space (F.I.N.D.S.) announced it has reached agreement with MirCorp to fly a 7 kilometer-long electro-dynamic tether aboard the Mir space station in 2001. The experiment, dubbed ``FireFly,'' due to its visibility from the Earth in the night sky, will demonstrate a totally new way to help keep spacecraft in orbit that is clean, cheap, passive and doesn't disturb experiments or residents aboard a space facility without using expensive chemical rockets."

"We are planning to bring the Mir down into the ocean at the end of February,'' Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov said, according to Russian news agencies. However, Klebanov, who is in charge of space policy in the Cabinet, held out some hope that private funds may still save the nearly 15-year-old Mir. Earlier this year, the station had won a reprieve when the Netherlands-based MirCorp signed a lease agreement and provided some funds to keep it aloft."

"Viktor Blagov, deputy head of the Russian space flight control centre, told ITAR-TASS that the scheme was now awaiting government approval. "The preliminary scenario for destroying Mir which can be accomplished in February 2001 has been prepared," Blagov said."

"The Vostok 3KA-2 Capsule, which paved the way for the first manned space flight and the "Space Magna Carta" which was signed during the historic Apollo- Soyuz space docking, will be on display at the International Space Symposium as part of a joint agreement by SPACE.com and the Space Foundation. The International Space Symposium focuses on business aspects of the $100 billion (US) global space industry, and is scheduled for October 24-26, 2000 at the Reagan International Trade Center in Washington, DC."

"Three and one-half years after its first launch to Space Station MIR, at the peak of joint American and Russian long-term space exploration, the Russian Soyuz TM26 Descent Capsule has temporarily docked at Space Media, Inc's e-commerce site, The Space Store(tm) it was announced today by SMI Senior Vice President Chris Petersen. It is for sale to the general public for $2.2 million. Space Media, Inc. is a subsidiary media corporation of SPACEHAB, Inc. "

"Russian officials said Thursday that the Mir space station, an aging symbol of Soviet space glory, is likely to be discarded soon for lack of money. But officials also said no decision has been made yet, and the fate of the 14-year-old station was not even discussed at a meeting of space experts."

"Knowing that you have a difficult decision to make, we urge you to reject the NASA staff recommendation to purchase some $24 million in goods and services from the Russian Space Agency under subparagraph (f) of Section 6 in the Iran Nonproliferation Act. Continuing with the purchase in the face of clear statements from Congress that doing so will violate the law and undermine U.S. efforts to stem the spread of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles to Iran, can only encourage those who harbor ill will toward our country, our soldiers and sailors stationed in the Middle East, and our allies in Israel. NASA simply must not send that message. "

"MirCorp is financing the Progress M-43 mission to Mir -- the third such resupply flight paid for by the privately owned company since it began operations earlier this year. "We thank the Russian government and industry for the successful Progress M-43 launch, and for the decision to provide as much fuel as possible for the station,'' MirCorp President Jeffrey Manber said. ``Progress M-43 will ensure Mir is fully operational, allowing MirCorp to carry out its long-term business plan."

"Due to meet on Thursday, the board of the Russian Aerospace Agency should decide the future of Mir and submit its proposals to the government. The station's operator-the rocket and space corporation Energiya- announced on Monday that as Mir is government property "the decision on its further operation should be made by the president and government."

"Russian space officials will hold a ''decisive'' meeting this week that could spell the end -- or a new life -- for the accident-prone Mir space station, a Russian Space Agency spokesman said Tuesday. Sergei Gorbunov told Reuters officials would meet on Thursday to decide whether to recommend to the government that Mir be left in space or brought down into the Pacific Ocean in a ball of fire."

"The announcement jumped the gun: Jeffrey Manber, President and CEO of MirCorp himself was surprised to hear that his headquarters had already put out the IPO news release Thursday, before MirCorp even picked a bank to underwrite it. But that's a good sign, he says."

"MirCorp plans an historic Initial Public Offering (IPO) on leading exchanges worldwide to raise $117 million in financing for long-term commercial operations with Russia's Mir space station. This first-of-its-kind IPO was spurred by worldwide international interest in the commercial opportunities with Mir - the only independent space station in orbit today."

"As you know, the Iran Nonproliferation Act prohibits NASA from purchasing goods and services from RASA for the International Space Station unless certain conditions are first met. The State Department representatives indicated at the September 29th briefing that those conditions are unlikely to be met in this case, but that NASA intends to use the authority of section 6(f) of the Act to make the purchases, the "Exception for Crew Safety." Under section 6(f), NASA may make an otherwise prohibited purchase from RASA only if the imminent loss of life or grievous injury to individuals aboard the International Space Station."

"In this timeframe a collegium on the Mir Space Station had taken place. Mr. Semenov, President of Energia, declared "Mir has run its course" and now was back in the hands of the Russian government. Plans for deorbiting Mir were discussed as to whether a crew was necessary, or if they would wait till the Spring when the Progress M-1 series vehicle would be on line. From what I personally observed at Mission Control Moscow (TsUP) and at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, the teams seemed to be visibly shifting to focus on the ISS."

"[Energia Designer General Yuri P.] Semyonov, whose company controls 60% of MirCorp, said U.S. financier Dennis Tito may wind up visiting the ISS next April under the contract he has with MirCorp to visit Mir. For Mir itself, Semyonov told The DAILY yesterday, "we missed the train."

Editor's note: One of MirCorp's primary partners is Energia - and it is off raising capital to operate Mir. Meanwhile the head of Energia says Mir is coming back to Earth.

Both of these statements can't be correct - Can they?

"The crew bound for the International Space Station later this month said Monday they will communicate in "Runglish," a mixture of Russian and English, and share a Russian-American cuisine.

"[Rae Sanchini, president of Cameron's production company, Lightstorm Entertainment] denied a report on the Web site Space.com that said Cameron is considering blasting off on a trip to the Russian space station Mir. The report quoted an unnamed, high-ranking official in the Russian space industry as saying Cameron underwent a battery of medical tests and was cleared for a possible mission to the orbital outpost."

"Jeff Lenorovitz, a MirCorp spokesman in Washington, said Russia had no need to choose between Mir and the International Space Station, since MirCorp was already paying Mir's bills. He said the company had already raised $40 million to keep Mir aloft, paying for two space flight since February. "

"MirCorp is aware of conflicting statements made today on Mir's future by a Russian official who was on travel outside of the country, and MirCorp plans to fully brief Russia's senior government personnel on its plans for Mir's continued commercial use."

"[MirCorp's Jeffrey] Manber acknowledged that the money flowing into MirCorp has fallen behind the curve: "We've reported to the Russians a financial plan that is a little bit to the right, a little bit delayed." That shortfall is what stirred up the latest flap."

"The captains of the Russian space industry sealed the fate of the Mir space station during a crucial meeting on Tuesday. Officials decided to send the outpost crashing back to Earth soon after it marks its 15th anniversary in orbit in February 2001."

"MirCorp is scrambling to pull together funding for several unanticipated refueling flights needed to keep Russia's Mir space station aloft, but there may not be enough Russian spacecraft available to support both Mir and the International Space Station (ISS), MirCorp President Jeffrey Manber said. "

"Russia and India are studying the possibility of joint basic research in the international space station Alpha, Russian Aerospace Agency director general Yuri Koptev told Interfax on Tuesday. "

"The orbit of the Russian space station Mir is dipping closer to Earth and will become unsafe by February of next year unless additional sources of funding are identified. "

"As commercial interest in Mir grows, MirCorp's two primary investors - Walt Anderson and Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria - confirmed their commitment to financing the station's continued operations. "Walt and I are more convinced than ever of the long-term business prospects for Mir, and we will continue to fund MirCorp's operations," Dr. Kathuria said. "The Dennis Tito and 'Destination Mir' missions are just the beginning of commercial uses that we have identified in our broad-based business plan.""

"On 18 September, members of the Temporary Emergency Commission (VChK) in Voronezh Oblast decided to set up a separate subcommission. Its purpose is to check how the Federal Scientific and Production Center Energiya, one of the industrial giants, pays money to the state treasury. The Center makes various kinds of electrical equipment for spacecraft and, since recently, consumer appliances.

Igor Kumitskiy, a VChK staffer and chief of the industrial section of the Main Economic Department at the oblast administration, told your Izvestiya correspondent the following: "It is a coincidence that we deal with Energiya, it runs almost no debts. We were even curious how they did it. So, we invited them for a conference without any ulterior motive."

"As was stressed at the hearings, funding for the work to ensure a controlled descent of the Mir space station from orbit has not yet been secured. It is necessary to find R600 million for these purposes. Otherwise, Mir could fall down on our heads...."

"[NBC Entertainment president Garth ] Ancier said he didn't think NASA would agree to shoot a civilian into space. "NASA's not doing that,'' Ancier said. "We asked NASA, and they said absolutely, categorically not. If they would do it, we'd do it with them.''

"A company with ties to NASA, Dreamtime Holdings Inc., proposed - at meetings Monday with CBS, ABC, and Fox - a show that would use NASA facilities at the Johnson Space Center in Houston to train 20 contestants hoping to be selected to spend a week aboard the new International Space Station, executives at the three networks said."

"NBC may have snagged Mark Burnett's spacey new reality series Destination Mir, but it was just a matter of time before the other networks would start itching for their own Tang-drinking, zero-gravity adventures."

Will there be a destination for "Destination Mir," the TV show that would send a regular American to Russia's space station? Over the past week, Russian space officials have revived uncertainties about Mir's fate, but the station's private backers say they're adjusting their plans to deal with the ups and downs of the space marketplace."

"Iran has successfully test-fired its first solid-liquid fuel missile, which the defense minister said was part of a program for launching satellites, the state news agency said Thursday."

"Russia has frozen a deal to sell laser technology to Iran - equipment the United States said could be adapted to a nuclear weapons program."

Editor's note: This excerpt is from Chapter 5 of the report "Russia's Road to Corruption" (aka the "Cox Report") published by House Republicans.

"When confronted with information that Russian participation in the space station was detrimental to the station's success, the Clinton administration argued that the costs and delays in the space station program might be justified as an effort to prevent a "brain drain" of Russian scientists to other countries seeking their expertise in rocketry and missile development. But in fact the Russian government had proved willing to provide these other countries with its scientists' missile and rocket expertise without the scientists ever having to leave their Russian research institutes. U.S. assistance on the space station, it was learned, actually subsidized the "brain drain" by supporting companies in the Russian military-industrial complex that were simultaneously engaged in both the space station program with the United States and missile proliferation to Iran."

Editor's note: That was 1993. This is 2000. All that this "brain drain" policy seems to have done is to have given the Russians a better idea as to what a competitive hourly rate should be for their scientists to charge for contract work.

Oh yes, this report is saturated with partisan, election year sniping.

" ...True, the favorite American topic--Russia's secret assistance to Iran in the building of weapons of mass destruction--acquired a very surprising interpretation on this occasion. We are no longer being threatened with new sanctions, and, moreover, Moscow has even come in for the Americans' public praise since, as Joseph Lockhart, White House press spokesman, said, Russia has agreed at the request of the United States to suspend the contract on the sale of laser technology to Iran."

"I hereby notify the Congress that, upon the expiration of the 5-day period specified in section 6(g)(1)(A) of the Act, the payment described above will be made. I have also concluded that the conditions described in section 6(g)(1)(B) and (C) of the Act [Public Law 106-178] have been satisfied. Specifically, no report has been made under section 2 of the Act; I have no credible information of any activity that would require such a report; and, the United States will receive goods of value to the United States commensurate with the value of the extraordinary payment."

Editor's note: The sections cited require a determination by the White House that Russia is committed to keeping weapons of mass destruction from going to Iran (from Russia) and that this has not happened in the past year - before funds can be transferred from the US to Russia.

It would certainly seem that the Russian press is openly flaunting the way in which Russia can continue to deal with Iran in defiance of H.R. 1883/Public Law 106-178 and/or American lack of interest in enforcing the law.

Editor's note: Russia has decided to delay the launch of ISS 2P - a Progress flight - from the planned date of 30 September to 14 November. More to follow.

"Originally 2 Main Expeditions (ME) were scheduled for the beginning of 2001: ME29 with the crew Sharipov and Vinogradov to be followed by the relief crew of ME30, consisting of the cosmonauts Musabayev and Baturin and the tourist - the American citizen Denis Tito. The knowledge of the Russian language of Tito is very poor and to convert him into a cosmonaut within the period of a few months is a "mission impossible".

Meanwhile Tito paid 22 million US-dollars of a promised 50 million. This is not enough for the execution of 2 expeditions to MIR. Now the decision has been made to appoint the original ME30 crew for the first and only ME to MIR, so in that case this will be ME29, consisting of Musabayev, Baturin and Tito. The launch date of their ship, Soyuz-TM31, has been set for 18.01.2001 and the duration of the flight will be 14 or 10 days."

"In the dramatic, live two-hour conclusion, the finalists will be assembled on the launch platform. The winner will earn the ultimate adventure ticket as he or she boards a Soyuz spacecraft that will launch for a trip to the Mir space station - located hundreds of miles above Earth - followed by a stay aboard before the return flight home."

"NBC will try to bolster its sagging ratings by getting some poor slob to cash it in--oops, head into outer space--on a Russian spacecraft on prime-time television. Eat your heart out, Paddy Chayefsky."

"NBC is hoping for a ratings liftoff from "Survivor'' mastermind Mark Burnett. The network has agreed to pay nearly $40 million for the rights to Burnett's " Destination Mir,'' a reality series that would launch an everyday American into space for a rendezvous with the Russian space station Mir, according to Tuesday's Daily Variety."

"The merchandise includes authentic, limited edition articles carried in the cabin of the first Chinese Space Ship during its maiden voyage into space orbit in late 1999. The articles are accompanied by Certificates of Authenticity from the Chinese Government. "

Editor's note: Why is it that a nation that is currently communist (China) and one which was communist for 70 years (Russia) seem to be much more able to commercialize certain on-orbit space activities than does the US - a country that has had a capitalist economy for several centuries?

"As NASA gears up to launch the shuttle Atlantis Friday on a space station outfitting mission, the Russian Space Agency is at loggerheads with the Russian Ministry of Finance over funding for nine critical station flights in 2001. "

"The Khrunichev Space Center is planning up to 14 Proton carrier rocket launches in 2000, a record- breaking number, the center's leading designer Vladimir Gusev has told Interfax. "

"[Alexander Derechin, head of the International Division at Energia] told AviationNow.com that RSC Energia had been using its own funds to keep work going so that some of next year's vehicles would be ready. In a recent report from the Russian Interfax news agency, Yuri Koptev, director of Rosaviakosmos, acknowledged that the manufacturers had been supporting the building of the vehicles."

"Russia has decided to modify a module it is building for the international space station in order to boost revenues, officials said Wednesday."

"The launch of a key Russian module of the International Space Station last month was in so much doubt until the last moment that the government froze funding for other work on the station, an official said Monday."

"Russian cosmonauts now have the chance to relax in the Canary Islands after hard work in space, following the signing of an agreement between Russian and Spanish authorities. "

Editor's note: Gee, how humane. Meanwhile, we send our astronauts back to Houston to recuperate. It's rather curious how Russia can afford this sort of vacation for their cosmonauts when money is so tight otherwise.

"Webster police are investigating the drowning of an unnamed 37-year-old Russian flight controller who was found dead in a Webster apartment complex swimming pool Tuesday night. "

" International investors in Russia's idle Mir space station said they would finance permanent missions to the craft beginning from 2001 and send up the first space tourist."

"The commercial backers for Russia's Mir space station announced plans to send two overlapping crews to the outpost next year. In mid-2001, a U.S. engineer-turned-financier would fly up with one crew and head back for Earth about 10 days later with the other, MirCorp said Tuesday."

"What does Russia have left to build for the station? Among the major parts are a docking module, a set of solar panels and two research modules. But, as a sign Russia might falter, Russian official Yuri Grigoryev said the docking module will not fly until 2002, one year later than the current schedule. Also, work on the other modules is at a standstill because of a lack of money, he said. Comments such as these are eerily reminiscent of what Congress and NASA heard as Zvezda was hobbled by similar problems for two years. "

"NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin congratulated his Russian colleagues for successfully launching Zvezda today. The module's chief designer, in turn, unabashedly asked for more tangible support from the United States -- presumably hard cash -- in the years ahead."

"Our specialists really do work in extreme conditions which include the constant lack of funding,'' said Yury Semyonov, head of Russia's Energiya space construction firm. "We cannot expect too much in terms of cash from (the Russian government),'' he said, urging the United States to contribute more funds to the ISS project, which also groups Canada, Japan and the European Union."

Editor's rant: What a nice way to say "thank you", Yuri.

Let me understand this Yuri: Russia was brought into the ISS program to save money and get hardware into space sooner than might otherwise have been the case. Instead, Russia's chronic non-performance is directly responsible for multi-year delays and multi-billion dollar cost increases. Meanwhile, Russia pledges to deorbit Mir to concentrate its limited resources on ISS yet goes back on its word to suit internal political interests - again to the detriment of the other ISS partners.

And now you have the audacity to suggest that the fiscally responsible partners contribute more money to bail out Russia? Sadly, given that Russian hardware occupies a pivotal point in the ISS program's critical path that can be used to pressure the US (again) for more cash, I am certain that Russia will once again find a way to make this happen.

"With the successful launch last night by an upgraded Russian Proton rocket, technicians at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan have begun fueling the Zvezda service module for its journey into orbit next week, NASA spokesman Carlos Fontanot reports from Moscow."

"Lawmakers want NASA to collect goods and services for $1.2B spent on delays Russia since meeting on the bill last week quickly dissolved into partisan bickering, and the lawmakers decided to suspend the bill-writing until they can work out their differences."

"Could YOU Handle Space Travel? That's what Jane Stevens hopes to find out. She and six other "civilians" have paid thousands of dollars to train with cosmonauts."

"The next crew to visit the Mir space station will include a paying passenger - a businessman from Los Angeles, US. The announcement was made on Friday, just as two Russian cosmonauts returned to Earth after spending the past few months reactivating Mir. "

"The capsule carrying Sergei Zalyotin and Alexander Kaleri landed on the steppes of the former-Soviet republic of Kazakstan near the town of Arkalyk after a 3.5-hour descent, Russian Mission Control spokesman Valery Lyndin said. The crew were in radio contact with ground controllers during the descent and there were no problems, he said. "

"Much of the public discussion of the recent commercial mission to Mir has focused on the question of whether reviving Mir will cause the Russians to neglect their commitments to the International Space Station. Far less attention has been paid to MirCorp's business strategy and whether or not it will be successful. "

"The crew for the 29th mission to the Mir space station has started training at the Gagarin cosmonaut training center near Moscow, center chief Pyotr Klimuk told Interfax. "

"A major step forward in the commercial conquest of the final frontier could be taken in January when the first private citizen, Dennis Tito, ventures to the Russian space station Mir, sources say."

"With no firm plans for future missions, the Mir space station will be vacated today as its first and possibly only privately financed flight comes to an end. "

"Arianespace has dropped as unprofitable the idea of launching Russian Soyuz rockets from its Kourou space center in French Guiana, a spokesman for the West European consortium said Tuesday."

From Jim Oberg (www.jamesoberg.com): "A friend of mine in Moscow has relayed information that cosmonaut Yevgeniy Khrunov has died on May 19. He was 66. No details were available.

Khrunov was one of the 20 pilots in the "Gagarin Group" in 1960. He later specialized in space walks, and was (with Yeliseyev) the first crew to transfer from one spacecraft (Soyuz-5) to another (Soyuz-4) in space. He never flew again, but later served as a backup crew commander for Soyuz-38 (September 1980), the Soviet-Cuban "guest mission". He left the cosmonaut program that same year."

"The crew of Russia's Mir space station ventured outside Friday for a five-hour spacewalk to test a cosmic version of super glue designed to seal cracks in the aging craft."

"Two cosmonauts orbiting the Earth in Russia's aging Mir space station conducted a five-hour space walk Friday and found that cables to a solar panel were blackened, indicating a short-circuit, mission control said."

"Dragonfly: NASA and the Crisis Aboard Mir,'' a Vanity Fair excerpt from Bryan Burrough's book of the same name, is in development at Universal, with Will Smith attached to produce."

"Yury Semyonov, president and chief designer of the company which made Mir, RKK Energiya, told Russian NTV television that the mission, originally planned for 45 days, would be extended by 10 days to prepare the station for another crew. He was also quoted by Russian news agencies as saying that the space station would probably be manned until the end of the year, rather than only to August as originally planned. "

"MirCorp has developed an affiliate program, in which companies with expertise in a specific market or geographical region will become sales representatives. "We are in discussion with several companies and organizations for MirCorp affiliate status,'' Andrew Eddy, MirCorp's Senior Vice President-Business Development, said. "Bringing them into the MirCorp family will extend our marketing reach even further.''

"[RSA Chief Yuri] Koptev said there was only five percent truth in the article [by Columnist Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post]. He brushed aside accusations that the station's service module, which Russia built and launched in 1998, was falling apart and required an extra U.S. Shuttle flight to repair it."

"This is absurd. We pour money into the Russian space program and, when we insist on conditions and results, we get a Russian Foreign Ministry official berating our "pseudo-imperial approach." We have a talent for taking ourselves hostage when it comes to Russia. Here is a space partnership that will not deliver the goods. And yet we insist on its indispensability. Time to tell the Russians to go their own way in space. Darva got an annulment. Why can't we?"

Editor's note: Truth is, Yuri, the ISS looks exactly the way it did a year ago because your government is incapable of meeting its financial and programmatic commitments to the ISS program. Furthermore, with regard to Mir, your country has decided to repudiate several years' worth of promises to focus what minimal resources you have on ISS. Instead, you drain resources developed for ISS to keep Mir operational.

Guess who gets stuck with paying all of the bills incurred by your non-performance? Can you blame (some) of us for getting a little tired of a constant stream of broken promises from Russia?

What is really scary is the prospect of this sort of misbehavior and unreliable performance from Russia for the next decade or so. Perhaps this has something to do with the "Alternate Access to Station" procurement announcement released by NASA several days ago.

"After several days of methodical searching, the cosmonauts aboard the Mir space station have located and plugged a nagging leak, and the internal air pressure is stabilizing, the mission's private backers say."

Editor's note: Thanks Steven!

"The fate of the Mir space station seems a little more secure following statements by the Russian premier Vladimir Putin that his government has reversed last year's decision to abandon it. He said that 1.5 billion roubles (£22 million) would be found to support the ageing space station."

"Colonel-General Pyotr Klimuk, the head of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City outside Moscow, told Wednesday's issue of the military daily Krasnaya Zvezda that it was this that made Russia crucial to the project. It's no secret that without Russia, the Americans would not be able to build the ISS. We've gathered huge experience in long-term space flight and done unique technical, scientific and medical work to make it possible,'' he said."

Editor's note: Pardon me, Pyotr, had we had not brough Russia into the program, kept Space Station Freedom instead, slipped the whole schedule a year or so and added a few billion dollars, there would still be a fully functioning - and permanently manned - space station in orbit now. Meanwhile, ISS looks exactly like it did a year ago - still waiting for your Service Module. Russia's participation has made ISS harder to do - not easier.

"This is absurd. We pour money into the Russian space program and, when we insist on conditions and results, we get a Russian Foreign Ministry official berating our "pseudo-imperial approach." We have a talent for taking ourselves hostage when it comes to Russia. Here is a space partnership that will not deliver the goods. And yet we insist on its indispensability. Time to tell the Russians to go their own way in space. Darva got an annulment. Why can't we?"

"Today's arrival of two cosmonauts on Mir has boosted MirCorp's plan to commercialize the manned station, with new private funding commitments clearing the way for a second mission that will place the first Internet portal in space."

"Commander Zalyotin said the latest mission could be extended if more funds became available. He said one of their jobs was to find the reason for the pressure drop and fix it. ``The plan is for us to stay for 45 days because we have enough funds for that,'' he said. ``But if additional funds are found, we may stay until August, when we shall be replaced by another crew.'' If more funds were not found, Mir would again be put on auto pilot."

"The trip to Mir has been delayed several times for technical reasons but might never have gone ahead if foreign investors had not come forward in January with pledges to help fund the space station, which is currently unstaffed."

"MirCorp acts as a facilitator, beginning with the establishment of business conditions for Mir's use and continuing through successful completion of a user's activity on board the station. More information on MirCorp and its plans to operate Mir as a commercial space station can be found on the company's Web site: www.mirstation.com".

"NASA officials predicted Friday they will clear several outstanding safety issues concerning International Space Station components in time for a scheduled July launch of the long-delayed Russian Service Module. That assurance came one day after a General Accounting Office official told Congress unresolved safety concerns about Russian-built space station hardware stood in the way of the planned July mission. "

"NASA space station chief Michael Hawes said the problems will not delay the planned July launch of Russia's service module with life-support systems. The module is more than two years late because of Russian money woes and, more recently, Russian rocket problems. NASA has known about these problems for some time, Hawes said, and they will be resolved in orbit. The Russians have agreed to NASA safety standards even though their own requirements are less stringent, he noted."

"Construction of the International Space Station could be delayed further because Russian-built components fail to meet NASA safety standards in four key areas, the General Accounting Office reported Thursday. "

Witnesses:

• Mr. Joseph Rothenberg, NASA Associate Administrator for Human Spaceflight [Testimony]
• Ms. Roberta Gross, NASA Inspector General
• Mr. Allen Li, Associate Director, National Security and International Affairs Division, U. S. General Accounting Office [Testimony]
• Dr. Henry McDonald, Director, NASA Ames Research Center

"March 17, Friday
- 9:00 am - Noon - FY2001 Human Space Flight Budget Hearing before the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics (replay from 3/16/00) - HQ."

"Although Russian elements have complied with the majority of space station safety requirements, Zarya and the Service Module still do not meet some important requirements. According to NASA safety officials, significant areas of noncompliance include (1) inadequate shielding from orbital debris on the Service Module, (2) inability of Zarya and the Service Module to operate after losing cabin pressure, (3) lack of verification for the design and service life of the Service Module windows, and (4) excessive noise levels in Zarya and the Service Module. NASA officials said that shortfalls in Russian funding, designs based on existing Russian hardware, and technical disagreements with Russian engineers are the main reasons these modules do not comply with safety requirements."

"Although the filmmakers said they made an initial payment to get the project under way, Russian space officials complained they haven't even been paid for the actor's training, let alone the multimillion-dollar bill for the flight. "

"A three-day visit to China by the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Ilya Klebanov, wound up on Saturday with a sensation,'' the Izvestia daily said on Monday. "Russia will help PRC (People's Republic of China) to build an orbital station.'' Mr. Alexander Serebrov, who worked twice aboard the 13-year-old Mir station, said it would cost China $500 millions to run Mir for three or four years. He said Russia could find the deal an alternative to a U.S.-led international project of building an international space station, to which Russia is a partner. "

"Although the filmmakers say they made an initial payment to get the project under way, Russian space officials complain they haven't even been paid for [actor] Steklov's training, let alone the multimillion-dollar bill for the flight. "The financial aspect of the flight hasn't been solved yet and it remains unclear whether Steklov will go to space,'' said Konstantin Kreidenko, a Russian Aerospace Agency spokesman."

"The Stafford/Utkin Commission team reviewed the Proton launch failure cause and corrective action last week in Russia. We received extensive and open briefings from Khrunichev and the Voronish Manufacturing Plant on the probable cause and corrective actions put in place to ensure reliable second and third stage Proton engines for the upcoming Service Module launch scheduled for July 8-14, 2000"

"Russia will launch a new mission to the aging Mir space station on April 3, three days later than originally planned, a spokeswoman for Mission Control said Friday. The spokeswoman said the delay was for technical reasons and the original March 31 date was only a rough guideline which allowed for schedule changes for Soyuz spacecraft launch."

"Russia will fulfill all its commitments in this (International Space Station) project,'' RIA news agency quoted Putin as saying. He also said Mir should be maintained."

"The House by a 420-0 vote today passed H.R. 1883, the Iran Nonproliferation Act. With the Senate last week approving this same legislation by a 98-0 vote, H.R. 1883 will now be sent to President Clinton. Both the House Science Committee and the full House of Representatives unanimously approved an earlier version of H.R. 1883 in September, 1999. House Science Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr., (R-WI), an original cosponsor of H.R. 1883, delivered the following statement during today's House debate...."

...."Having paid the Russians some $800 million between 1994 and 1998, the Administration announced in late 1998 its intention to make additional payments to the Russian Aviation and Space Agency. The Administration's reliance on Russia has put the American taxpayer in the unacceptable position of possibly subsidizing the very Russian aerospace enterprises that are helping Iran develop weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles."

"A Proton booster rocket was to carry the Express-A satellite into orbit on Tuesday, but the launch has been rescheduled for March 29, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. No details on the nature of the technical problems were released."

"The Senate voted unanimously yesterday to require President Clinton to certify that Russia's space agency has not aided Iran's missile program before the United States can help pay for Russia's contribution to the international space station."

"The bill also prohibits funding to the Russian space agency, which lawmakers say is diverting the funds intended for the International Space Station to Iran for weapons building. "The United States is assisting the Russian aviation and space agency at a time when entities under its jurisdiction may, as a matterof fact, be involved in transferring this dangerous technology to Iran," [Sen. Trent] Lott said."

"We must state with sorrow that American lawmakers are again artificially aggravating the situation, trying to make internal legislation extraterritorial and putting pressure on other nations under clearly forced pretexts,'' the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. " "Such a pseudo-imperial approach is unacceptable and shall not be agreed with by our country and thewhole of civilized society.''

"Following suit with the House, the Senate on Thursday voted unanimously to step up efforts to stop Russia and other countries from supplying Iran with weapons of mass destruction."

"The bill also says the United States could make payments to the Russian space agency for helping build the International Space Station only after the president determines that Russia is actively opposing proliferation in Iran...."

"...It does make payments to the Russian space agency in conjunction with work on the International Space Station contingent upon the president's concluding that Russia is complying with nonproliferation policies."

"The Space Frontier Foundation hailed today's announcement of the groundbreaking commercial takeover of the Russian space station, Mir, by MirCorp., as a turning point in the history of space commercialization. "

"MirCorp, which was formed in December, already has paid $20 million to $30 million to the station to keep it up in space at least through the summer, said its president, Jeffrey Manber. He said another $40 million would need to be raised to keep the station afloat through the end of the year and beyond."

"b. 1923, October 17 - d. 2000, February 15

Vladimir F. Utkin was a well-known scientist, general designer of strategic missiles, launch and space vehicles, the director of the Central Research Institute of machine building (TsNIIMASH) of the Russian Aeronautics and Space Agency (ROSAVIACOSMOS), Academician of Russian and Ukrainian Academies of Sciences, International Space Academy, president of Tsiolkovsky Academy of Cosmonautics, doctor of engineering sciences."

"Russia resumed launches of its key Proton rocket booster on Saturday, with the workhorse of Moscow's space program lifting an Indonesian satellite into orbit from Kazakhstan's Baikonur cosmodrome. It was the first Proton to blast off from the space center since October, when a rocket of the same type failed shortly after takeoff, scattering debris over remote steppes and prompting Kazakhstan to suspend all Proton flights."

"A Russian search team reportedly has located a missing space probe which utilized a new heat shield design to return to Earth Wednesday morning. If confirmed, the successful test may revolutionize techniques used to return space vehicles from orbit."

"Despite the appearance that NASA has little influence over what its Russian partner does, NASA officials said that is not the case.

"We're in control,'' said Dwayne Brown, a spokesman at NASA headquarters. "We have always said this was going to be a challenging venture. When we were initially proposing the station, we did not expect we would run into these problems. We will have to take it in stride. We just have to be flexible.'' .''

Editor's note: (Sigh) Dwayne is in official PAO denial mode once again. If NASA is "in control" as he suggests, I'd certainly hate to see what his idea of being 'out of control' is .....

"A Russian cargo craft carrying fuel and vital equipment for space station Mir blasted off on Tuesday from the Baikonur cosmodrome to prepare the station for a manned mission next month. The spacecraft, named Progress M1-1, took off at 0647 GMT and is due to dock with Mir at 0800 GMT on Thursday, officials at the cosmodrome said."

"Dr. Arnauld E. Nicogossian, head of a NASA's $20 million joint research program with Russia, said a man he knew as Dr. Kalinin had helped identify which institutes were to receive American aid. Dr. Nicogossian said he had not heard of Biopreparat until last year. "

But many national security officials were furious when they first learned of Biopreparat's involvement in the grants last year. "What happened in these cases was outrageous," said a senior national security official who spoke on condition that he not be identified. "A.I.D. and NASA were essentially running their own foreign policy."

"According to Russian scientists, American aid to private Russian biological research has been diverted to Biopreparat, "a shadowy organization that once directed the Soviet Union's germ warfare program", the NEW YORK TIMES is reporting Tuesday.

NYT scribe Judith Miller reports that since the end of the Cold War Biopreparat has been redeveloped into a state-run drug company, and since then have received grants from NASA and the U.S. Agency for International Development. "

Editor's note: Word has it that the ISS program is evaluating several manifest options right now. One assumes that the Service Module will be launched (but delayed yet again). The plan shows the US Lab being launched in March of 2001 and the Service Module being launched in December 2000. The plan to make up for this slip is apparently to do a series of 5 Shuttle flights as fast as KSC can process orbiters. These flights would be packed in between December 2000 and March/April 2001.

The other option being evaluated revolves around the Service Module not being in the program. The motivation for such studies depends on who you talk to and has a substantial rumor component. None the less, the motivating rationale for not having the Service Module in the program ranges from a launch mishap, to further ground processing/Proton delays, and even the possibility that Russia might send the Service Module to Mir now that commercial support seems to be materializing.

There is one major technical hurdle that tends to undermine the rumor that the Service Module might be sent to Mir. According to Russian Space Analyst Jim Oberg, "the Service Module has neither the guidance system nor the steering jets to dock with Mir. Mir does not have the ability to do this either". According to Oberg and other NASA sources, a more plausible approach for another component being sent to Mir is the almost-completed FGB-2, not the Service Module.

Stay tuned.

"On Thursday, Russia decided to keep the troubled Mir in orbit at least through August by using booster rockets and spaceships that had been intended for the 16-nation ISS. The government will now have to pay for construction of new ships and rockets for the international station."

Editor's note: This 53 page ISS Program presentation contains charts that cover the schedules for various aspects of flights 2A.1, 1R, 2A.2, 3A, 4A, 5A, 5A.1, 6A, 7A, 8A, 9A, 11A, 12A, 13A. The Service Module's launch date is shown with "TBD".

"We showed them charts with summaries of all of our own results," said another NASA expert. "But only after we printed new copies with the 'Official Use Only' restrictions removed." ...

... "[manager of advanced concepts studies at NASA headquarters, John] Mankins denied that the meeting was restricted. "If you've been to any space conference in the last six months," he said, "you've seen the same charts.""

Editor's note: Gee John, if it was so open, why was there no public announcement? And if we've 'seen' these charts before, why the need to re-create them with circulation restriction language removed?

Editor's Update: Individuals having some familiarity with this meeting have commented to NASA Watch that this was just a low level meeting and that there really was no attempt to hide anything or meet "in secret". Indeed, it was just, according to one source, a rather mundane meeting of a steering committee for the 1172 project regarding its work in progress, not a final report or a pubic review. Such run of the mill meetings are typically small and by invitation.

Background Information:

Editor's note: According to space historian David Portree, the Russian presentations made at this meeting were very much in line with concepts they developed a decade ago - except that they now favor the use solar dynamic-powered ion propulsion instead of solar-photovoltaic.

"Yuri Koptev told a news conference after a cabinet meeting that more non-government financing had been found to keep the station operating. "A cargo flight will take place on February 1 and a crew will follow in April, with a further cargo ship to go up a month later,'' Koptev said."

"The death has been announced of Geoff Perry MBE, founder of the Kettering Group, and co discoverer of Plesetsk launchsite in 1966. He was 72, and was taken ill suddenly on Tuesday afternoon, whilst out with his wife Jean, and a visiting Group member, Jos Heyman from Perth, Australia. Despite rapid evacuation to Stratton Hospital, Geoff was pronounced dead some 30 minutes later, following a heart attack which struck without warning.

The funeral is to be held on Wednesday, January 26th at 1245, at the Glynn Valley Crematorium, Bodmin. Jean Perry has requested no flowers be sent.

As you no doubt consider, the family are extremely distressed. Those who wish to communicate their condolences are invited to write to Mrs Jean Perry, 4 Silverton Road, Bude, Cornwall EX23 8TG, or via myself through email. Geoff's own email address has been discontinued.

Max White / Kettering Group
Cheltenham

"The Russian Space Agency has privately informed NASA that the Mir space station will not be scrapped as promised but will continue in space with a new crew of cosmonauts. The letter from Yuriy Koptev, head of the Russian Space Agency in Moscow, was sent Thursday to NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin. It confirmed widespread rumors concerning Mir funding from a private American investment group. "

"In view of our recent telephone conversation when we discussed the status of our joint program, also in view of a number of events that happened lately and that may affect our joint cooperation, I would like to inform you on our plans for future work."

Editor's note: According to NASA Watch sources, the NASA Moscow Liason Office sent back word to NASA HQ that Koptev did not actually sign an official approval of the Energiya deal with venture capital firm Gold & Appel. Instead, Koptev referenced "Government Decree #76", a decree that allows Energiya to decide how to use Mir if it they able to secure adequate funding sources from outside the government's Mir budget. Koptev and Energiya's Director Yuri Semenov were supposed to have made a formal proposal presentation to Deputy Prime Minister Klebanov on 20 January 2000.

"Russia is currently involved in serious behind the scenes efforts designed to not only prolong Mir's life, but to transform it into a commercial venture. This is in stark contrast to earlier official pronouncements made by Russia over the past year or so that it intended to deorbit Mir and focus its limited resources on the International Space Station program. While publicly professing that what Russia does with its space station is its (Russia's) business, NASA is privately very concerned about this change in tactics.

A meeting was held on 12 January 2000 in Russia to consider what to do with Mir. Energia, Khrunichev, and other corporations and agencies concerned with Mir were in attendance. The outcome of the meeting was a series of recommendations that are to be presented to senior Russian government officials. Yuri Koptev (RASA) and Yuri Semenov (Energiya) will jointly author a proposal to the government, one that requires formal approval from the government before they can proceed."

Full Story and background links...

"A U.S. tycoon is pumping millions of dollars into a plan to save Russia's Mir space station, hoping to transform the empty outpost into an orbiting business park and a vacation resort for highfliers."

"Energia deputy chief Valery Ryumin said the British company Golden Apple had transferred $7 million to Energia's account with another installment to follow after a cargo ship to Mir is launched on Jan. 31. The cargo ship is to carry supplies for a crew set to blast off on March 30 for a Mir mission that would last at least 45 days. The Russian Space Agency approved the mission Wednesday, but it still needs final endorsement by the Cabinet, which plans to take up the issue next Thursday."

"The cash, at least $21.2 million, is coming from Washington, D.C., venture capitalist Walt Anderson, who started his fortune after the breakup of AT&T. Anderson expects to sign a lease to use the orbital outpost by the end of the month. He will do so in partnership with the Russian space company Energiya, which owns the empty station. Anderson, Energiya and other investors are forming Mir Corp. Ltd. in Bermuda to run what they hope will be the first for-profit space station in the solar system. "

Now, through his Bermuda-based holding company Gold & Appel, Anderson is the biggest of the project's financiers from around the world, said Jeffrey Manber, managing director of Energiya's U.S. division and the man who will be president of Mir Corp. "

"Space officials had previously mentioned the movie idea, which would involve the crew acting as cameramen while director Yuri Kara would work from Mission Control. But few took the plan seriously. Steklov will go to the space station only if an unidentified investor pays for his flight, Gorbunov said. ''It's also unclear whether Steklov can prepare for the flight in the short time left,'' he said. Sergei Gromov, a spokesman for Energia, said that a Virgin Island-based venture capital company has promised to finance the mission. He refused to provide details. "

Editor's note: This is what - the 4th time someone wants to film a movie on Mir - about Mir!?.

"The cosmonauts may travel to Mir with Vladimir Steklov, an actor set to star in a movie about a cosmonaut unwilling to abandon the space station."

Editor's note: "unwilling to abandon the space station" Hmmmm - Sounds more like a true-to-life documentary to me ....

"A reclusive American telecommunications tycoon is spending millions to renovate the Russian space station Mir, with plans to rent it to scientists, advertisers, even super-rich tourists searching for the ultimate vacation spot, it will be reported. "

"The launch of the station's crew module won't be possible until at least August, Sergei Gromov, spokesman for the Energia Company which built the module, told The Associated Press."

"An international venture capital firm is putting up millions of dollars to extend the life of Russia¹s Mir space station, which has circled Earth empty since August, Russian and American associates say."

"Sergei Gromov, spokesman for Russia's Energiya rocket builder, told Reuters by telephone that a U.S. firm, Golden Apple, had promised to send $20 million by March to continue the programme. Gromov said the builders planned to send a crew to Mir in March for a mission lasting at least 45 days. He said the U.S. firm had already paid $7 million of the $20 million promised, but gave no further details about the company."

"In accordance with the agreement with Energiya, the American Golden Apple company should transfer 20 million US dollars to support the Mir space station. The Energiya official said that this amount would "to some extent" cover the expenses related to the forthcoming expedition. "

Editor's note: "Golden Apple" is really "Gold & Appel", a Cayman Islands-based venture capital group with a penchant for funding space start ups (see this 5 July 1999 article from Forbes magazine on Roton)

"Conclusions:

The most likely cause of the failure of the Proton LV Ser. No. 38602 on October 27, 1999 is the presence of metallic or mineral particulate matter inside the engine resulting in the ignition of the turbopump's engine assembly in Stage II Engine #1 (P/N 8D411K, Ser. No. 5358161741). The most likely cause for the particulate matter to find its way into the engine is poor workmanship at the Voronezh Mechanical Plant in 1992/93.

The failure under study is categorized as a fabrication-related one."

From Minutes of Senior Staff and Center Directors' Meeting January 3, 2000:

"I/Schumacher: Mr. Schumacher reported that Russian President Boris Yeltsin resigned, and Code I is waiting to determine what the recent changes in Russia will mean for NASA."

Editor's note: Given the way Dan Goldin and his team have consistently misread - and misrepresented - Russia and its capabilities for the past 8 years, I doubt that Code I will be any better at understanding Russia under Vladimir Putin than it understood Russia under Boris Yeltsin.