NOW HOW WILL THEY GET BACK TO THE MOON?:

Russia Lags in New Spaceship Design (Vladimir Isachenkov, April 9, 2007, Associated Press)

It looks like a bonanza for the Russian space industries — the planned retirement of the U.S. space shuttle fleet in about three years would make Russia the principal carrier of crews and cargo to the International Space Station, sharply raising its revenues.

But some Russian cosmonauts and space experts are worried. They fear the lead will be short-lived and will slow development of what's really needed — a replacement for the veteran Soyuz spacecraft, the reliable but plodding workhorse of the nation's space program for 40 years.

On the bright side, this does not change the odds of them putting a new man on the moon on the thirtieth anniversary of their first.

Posted by Orrin Judd at April 9, 2007 4:28 PM