I am Russian, but I have lived in the US for most of my life. Is it just me or is it pathetic that Russia is betting the US in the space race, even though they have many, many times less funding?
2007-09-30 11:29:34 · 6 answers · asked by Eugene 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
No. Gloating is pathetic. Especially by someone who has taken no part in the process.
2007-09-30 13:46:40 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It would be if it were true.
It is true (and ironic) that Russia has beat the US in taking the first paying passengers to space.
But in general Russia is not ahead of the U.S. in space. They have nothing like the shuttle with a big cargo bay that can bring large things BACK from space. That capability is rarely used, but it exists. The shuttle launch and landing G load is less than 3 gees, compared to much higher G loads on a Soyuz flight. Some scientific experiments are so delicate that they are ruined by the rough ride in the Soyuz and so can only ride the shuttle.
Russia has the ability to launch things more cheaply than the U.S. because of the low cost of labor and the favorable monetary exchange rate, but the rockets are no better than those of the United States.
Anyway, there is no competition among nations like there was in the cold war. It is more like business as usual. So there is no race to win or loose.
There are a lot of new things just starting up that you may not be aware of.
The most exciting things in the U.S. are not government programs. They are all private, like SpaceX, Bigelow Aerospace and Virgin Galactic.
And of course NASA has big plans for returning to the Moon. Expensive plans, but plans.
2007-09-30 11:32:11 · answer #2 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Russia has only a great history in space, but that's it, a great history. the US has sent more probes (officially) than Russia, unless Russia has more advances and has sent more in space that we just do not know about
The US funding toward NASA and JPL has declined due to the war against terrorism so Russia's funding might be better than ours.
2007-09-30 11:38:05 · answer #3 · answered by filldwth? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sorry. It was the Sovietunion that beat the US in space and it doesn´t exist anymore. Russia is just another pathetic dictatorship these days that hasn´t accomplished anything significant in a long time. In space or elsewhere.
2007-09-30 19:30:17 · answer #4 · answered by DrAnders_pHd 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
You are behind. The Russians already did that, and now their own space programs are in the decline, as are the US.
The next players in the space race will be the orient, since they will have all the money and resources to do it.
2007-09-30 11:32:34 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
They have a lot more people too. And I don't really care if they do - they can make 'dura' out of us, and then we'll have some incentive to catch up.
2007-09-30 11:37:31 · answer #6 · answered by eri 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋