[mmaunder]

"Since all crewmembers will be expected to fly aboard the Soyuz vehicle and perform Extravehicular Activities (space walks), applicants must meet the anthropometric requirements for both the Soyuz vehicle and the extravehicular activity mobility unit (space suit). Applicants brought in for interview will be evaluated to ensure they meet the anthropometric requirements."

...or you will be charged for two seats.

[commieneko]

It kind of pisses me off that the US is having to buy seats on Soyuz launches. Of course I grew up reading Tom Corbett and watched the first moon landing on a 12 inch black and white TV...

[VladRussian]

>It kind of pisses me off that the US is having to buy seats on Soyuz launches.

it is normal for any high tech endeavor to outsource mundane/janitorial work. Russia and US mastered this non-reuseable type of space flight decades ago. It would not make any sense for NASA to go back and implement the same system now. What would be great is if NASA used the time and money to implement a more advanced and efficient system - Shuttle was a great endeavor and its lessons need to be implemented into the new systems. And by the way, for example, while Russia ferries NASA atrounauts, Russia, or anybody else except NASA, has no ability to [successfully] send an actual Mars probe or create JWST (which impact on science and overall enlightment of the human race would possibly be bigger than even Hubble's one). So stop being pissed off and start writing the code for the mirrors alignment:)

[wlievens]

In my view there is nothing mundane about lifting people safely to orbit.

For lifting cargo you might have a good point.

[jobu]

I think it's fantastic for two reasons. First, it keeps the lights on for the Russian space industry (more players makes for a more interesting field). Second, I believe the next big achievements in space will likely be done by private industry. This sets a bar for the cost to get people into space. Whenever some company can safely match the price of $50mil per person we will start having some real competition.

[commieneko]

I've been waiting for this to happen for over 30 years. No one will be happier than I will if/when a real space industry develops. But just like I think it is foolish for the US to outsource its manufacturing industry, it is doubly foolish to outsource our space program.

I'd almost sooner outsource our military... (opps!!!)

(Side note, there's a big difference between space industry and space science research. The needs of physicists/astronomers are different than the needs of engineers, even if there is some overlap. Both need to be supported and encouraged. And both need both private and government funding.)

[bfe]

SpaceX is a few bells and whistles away from a human-rated Crew Configuration of the Dragon spacecraft with seating for seven. Their initial contract for unpiloted cargo flights of Falcon 9 / Dragon to ISS charges an average of $133 million per flight. At the same rate, they could sell passenger seats for only $19 million.

That's just a back of the envelope calculation with a gazillion assumptions, but useful for making projections for the next few years.

[dennisgorelik]

Apparently seats on US-made launches are more expensive.

Does it bother you buying "Made in China" stuff?

[commieneko]

My problem isn't that the seats are Russian, it's that we've let our space program wither away to nothing. I don't mind competition in space industry, what I mind is that our government, and industry, leaders simply can't be bothered.

[w1ntermute]

> it's that we've let our space program wither away to nothing

Maintaining a space program is a very expensive proposition, and given the enormous amont of debt the government possesses, I'd say it was a wise decision to shut the whole thing down.

[nitrogen]

Unfortunately, the space program is a trivial amount compared to what's actually consuming the budget: defense and welfare.

Since the risk of this thread devolving into a federal budget debate expands exponentially with every post, I propose leaving the subject for another time and place.

[commieneko]

Non having a working space program will likely be an even more expensive proposition. Theres nothing wrong, in my opinion, with governments being involved in high speculative, but highly valuable infrastructure development.

[dennisgorelik]

Competition implies that less efficient providers are losing customers. US government is making wise move by cutting expenses that way.

[georgemcbay]

At $50 million a seat, that starts to add up.