Skyrocketing Inflation: Russia Now Charging NASA $70 Million Per Seat To Fly US Astronauts

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

By Associated Press, Updated: Tuesday, April 30, 5:19 PM

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA is paying $424 million more to Russia to get U.S. astronauts into space, and the agency’s leader is blaming Congress for the extra expense.

NASA announced its latest contract with the Russian Space Agency on Tuesday. The $424 million represents flights to and from the International Space Station aboard Russian Soyuz spacecraft, as well as training, for six astronauts in 2016 and the first half of 2017. That’s $70.6 million per seat — well above the previous price tag of about $65 million.

Russia currently provides the only means of getting people to and from the space station, and its ticket prices have soared with each new contract.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said if Congress had approved the space agency’s request for more funding for its commercial space effort, the latest contract would have been unnecessary. He is urging full funding of the Obama administration’s 2014 budget request of $821 million in seed money for the commercial crew program.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/skyrocketing-inflation-russia-now-charging-nasa-70-million-per-seat-to-fly-us-astronauts/2013/04/30/0d0f1e2e-b1bb-11e2-9fb1-62de9581c946_story.html

[cyberswede]

1. Of course they'll charge more, since we don't have our OWN way to get the astronauts there.

Who could have seen this coming?

[mbperrin]

2. Yes, who could have predicted?

[Purveyor]

4. Free market capitalism 'baby'!!! lol eom

[joshcryer]

6. Government supported commercial space is quite viable.

It's things like (the now defunct) Constellation program and the Senate Launch System that are the problem with NASA.

[joshcryer]

5. Blame the Senate Launch System.

And Constellation.

Private space has done wonders.

[JDPriestly]

3. So we outsourced our space travel and now it's more expensive than it would have been had we

done it ourselves. We are going to discover that the more we outsource and import, the more expensive outsourcing and importing will become.

[Ian David]

7. They charge the fat astronauts for an extra seat. n/t

[Swede Atlanta]

8. We should never haven given up our own means to....

get astronauts to the ISS. That was a fatal mistake by NASA. I agree the Shuttle program had run its course but we need our own, independent means of getting people and things to and from the space station.

[Moostache]

9. The cancellation of the shuttle program was a dark day and a huge mistake.

I once had pride in this country and its ability to at least appear forward looking. To be begging rides off of the Russian space agency just to get men in orbit though? REALLY?!?!?!

Sure is a good thing we "won" that cold war thing, isn't it?

[daleo]

10. When you have a monopoly

You charge what the market will bear.

[Purveyor]

12. Witness your local gas/electric/cable/phone monopolies... eom

[Purveyor]

11. Had it not been for the Russians, the ISS would be space dust by now. Ungrateful bastards...we. :)