Russia Says US Astronauts Could Be Hurt By Ukraine Sanctions

[Purveyor]

Source: Agence France-Presse

By Anna Smolchenko, with Michel Moutot in Lugansk, Ukraine 2 hours ago

Moscow (AFP) - Russia warned Tuesday that American astronauts on the International Space Station could be hurt by new US-led sanctions over the escalating crisis in Ukraine, where pro-Moscow militants seized more public buildings in the east.

Washington was resorting to "Iron Curtain" policies from its Cold War-era playbook with the new Western sanctions, which were driving the Ukraine crisis towards "a dead end", Moscow raged.

--CLIP
"If their aim is to deliver a blow to Russia's rocket-building sector, then by default, they would be exposing their astronauts on the ISS," Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said, according to the Interfax news agency.

"Sanctions are always a boomerang which come back and painfully hit those who launched them," added Rogozin on a visit to Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in March.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/us-reviving-iron-curtain-policies-russia-094611975.html

[dipsydoodle]

1. Cause and effect

Possibly an unintended consequence.

[Igel]

16. Don't decide that volitional acts are forces of nature.

That's a common trope.

"We beat the prisoner because the lies in the media forced us to." It asserts a lack of responsibility when there is none in order to deny any moral responsibility for your actions.

"What choice did I have?" and "I had no other choice" is a convenient way of saying, "I made the choice I wanted because I didn't like the others, and don't even think of saying I should bear responsibility for my choice." One step--granted, a rather large step--below "the devil made me do it." At least by blaming the devil there's a tacit admission of wrongdoing and failure to resist temptation, instead of trying to duck responsibility and blame somebody else for your own choice.

[Turbineguy]

2. Compared to the Ruble and the Russian stock market,

blackmail is the only thing that holds its value.

[liberal N proud]

3. I guess ending the Shuttle without a replacement wasn't the smartest decision

At least now while we had people in space!

[dembotoz]

23. bothered me from the start

[Supersedeas]

27. Forward thinking?

[joshcryer]

4. The USA shouldn't be using Russian engines to begin with.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

14. Hunh? What part of International do you not understand? nt

[joshcryer]

21. What part of outdated technology do you?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

22. Less outdated than the decommissioned US equipment and no US replacements yet.

Decommissioned = moribund, defunct, not available.

The Russian launch vehicles are better than the Chinese ones. But the Chinese ones are "newer" in some respects.

[joshcryer]

28. In 30 short days you'll see the US replacement.

Russia's rocket industry is being heavily subsidized by the US. If we stopped buying engines and seats on Soyuz then they would be so SOL it's not even funny.

[eggplant]

5. Good news for SpaceX, though.

[2naSalit]

6. I suspect that

the current ISS from US will be staying there until SpaceX and/or other US or friendly entities can finish their "safe for human travel" projects are ready. If the US astronauts leave, they may not be let back in.

Hope other options come into place soon.

[IronGate]

7. Not let back in by whom?

It's the International Space Station, not the Russian Space Station. Russia cannot legally bar other nations astronauts from coming aboard.

[penultimate]

9. As of right now, only the Russians have the immediate ability to get astronauts up there

I believe SpaceX's human rated transport is suppose to be ready sometime in 2015 though. It's supposedly cheaper per seat too, if I recall correctly.

*Actually, I just remembered the chinese do too. I figured I'd add so no one can call me a total dumb ass

[Ash_F]

10. Probably not, but I don't think they are compelled to provide transportation for other nations. /nt

[2naSalit]

11. Not legally

but who will ensure that they don't end up being the only ones there at some future point in time? If they are the only ones who have transportation, who's to say that they might not pull this same BS there? And who would stop them? It's a dicey situation now that they have brought this into the theater. Not good. I supposed they think that it is a viable threat to pose now that their little beehive pinata has been smacked with a stick... so to speak.

[Ash_F]

8. "Nice space station you have here"

"...it would be a shame if something were to happen to it"

[penultimate]

13. lol

[Paulie]

12. Initial plans were to deorbit the ISS in 2016, now 2020

So not much of a threat as there are two capsules to bring home the existing crew.

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2013/08/bringing-down-iss-plans-stations-demise-updated/

We are as a country used to tossing a few billion in the toilet.

[joshcryer]

29. That's why Cx was the worst plan ever.

The Ares I wasn't to fly until 2017, by the best estimates (and it kept slipping). So it was going to fly ... to no where. At least by keeping ISS support we've managed to have a destination to take people.

[Purveyor]

15. Also read: Russian Space Agency Plans China Shift Amid Sanctions Fears

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024886877

[IkeRepublican]

17. Take them seriously, folks

They're gonna tie an empty beer can to a bottle rocket and name it Putnik.

[Jesus Malverde]

19. ha ha those Russians are so dumb meme.

[awoke_in_2003]

20. Unlike us...

Russia actually has a way to get people to and from the ISS. Yeah, stupid Ruskies.

[DallasNE]

18. Dmitry Rogozin Got The Framing Wrong

The invasion of Crimea is the boomerang and it indeed has been painful to those who launched them so Rogozin got the boomerang part right but missed completely on the framing.

[dembotoz]

24. Don't throw eggs at the bus company if you need a ride on that bus to go home

[Bodhi BloodWave]

25. that is likely the most accurate view on that statement

I saw it as a 'Hey US, If you plan to keep up on the sanctions then keep in mind were not required to shuttle your astronauts' sort of statement.

Sure it can be seen as a threat but its also a fact(unless they have a written contract obviously, if thats the case then my above line goes out the window :p )

[truthisfreedom]

26. SpaceX is almost ready to carry humans.

Give them 6 months. They generally don't fuck up.