4 April 1998
The U.S. Congress has held hearings on space research issues. The speech by Science Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner has attracted particular attention. He discussed problems in building the International Space Station [ISS], whose first module is scheduled to be launched from Baikonur on June 30 of this year. The congressman spoke sarcastically: the only thing that the Russians can be trusted on is that they never miss an opportunity not to meet their commitments on time. "It is time", Sensenbrenner suggested, "that we say to the Russians: fish or cut bait". In the opinion of some congressmen, the United States is quite capable of going ahead with the project without Russia. President Clinton also caught hell; he was likened to the captain of the Titanic, who ordered "full speed ahead" and went to bed.
Americans do not celebrate our holidays. Americans do not care that it is not a good idea to upset us on the eve of significant anniversaries. On April 12, Russia will mark "Space Day". But instead of warm wishes, we are only getting hell from our major space partner. What is the reason for these harsh words? Yes, the ISS construction schedule has been repeatedly revised because of Russia: there was no money in the Treasury. But the first module is now at Baikonur and there are problems with it. However, leaders of the Russian space research program are testing the ground for yet another postponement of the launch until August 1998. The reason is the delay in the completion of the Service Module, which will not be ready on time, as promised: by December.
As Krunichev Space Center Program Director Sergei Shayevich told Izvestiya, why waste resources on a meaningless stay in space? Would it not be more sensible to postpone the first launch by two months? The Service Module is basically a new machine, and it is very difficult to bridge the gap after a long and rigorous budget diet. Even now it is not real money that is going into building the module, but rather promissory notes, which have to be turned into money. This alchemy is no less complex than rocket designs.
But the Americans are resorting to guile and are not telling the whole truth. Between the time the station's configuration was approved in 1993 and now it has become $4 billion more expensive. There have been improvements, but there has also been elementary overexpenditure on the part of the general contractor, Boeing, by $900 million. Incidentally, all the flights on board Mir have cost the United States a mere $400 million.
And anyway, even though they are trying to talk only about Russia's problems, our partners may not be able to make it on time either. It is doubtful that the U.S. Node 1 module, which controls the computer for all of the station's 44 modules, will be ready. It is a month and a half behind schedule. Of course, it is no less difficult to develop the mathematical modeling for the ISS than to construct a module without funding. And to make things worse, the body of the U.S. module started to crack during static tests. Our engineers helped solve the problem. Free of charge, incidentally.
NASA Director Joseph Rothenberg promised the Congressman that Node 1 will be able to take off on time. But the point is that the United States lacks our rich experience in rush work. And Russia, Izvestiya has been tipped off, has a secret unpublicized reserve up its sleeve to ensure that the ill-starred module is launched on time. At the end of April, its assembly at the Krunichev Center will be competed. Then it will be possible to send the apparatus straight to Baikonur for testing rather than to the Energia Corporation. Incidentally, this was how the Mir station's basic module was dealt with. But today, Baikonur's material base is not what it used to be 10 years ago. The decision depends on thee tests of an electric analog that are in full swing at Energia. By now, as Leonid Gorshkov, a designer recruited back in Korolev's time, told us, we are half way through this work.
At the end of April, Moscow will host an international conference of chief designers. All the deadlines will finally be set there. The Americans are concerned about yet another question: who will fulfil the promises agreed to at the latest Gore-Chernomyrdin Commission? In 1998, Russia has to allocate $380 million for the ISS.
It is not known whether this much money can be made available. But before "cutting bait" the American congressman should recall that by the end of the program, the total time spent by U.S. astronauts on board Mir will amount to 920 days. This is five months longer than all the shuttles have been in space over their 91 flights since 1981.
copyright 1998 Isvestiya