Space station in jeopardy
The future of the International Space Station is in doubt due to an American refusal to fund Russia's contribution because of Moscow's continuing assistance to the nuclear programme of Iran, labelled by the US as an "axis of evil" state.
Moscow and Washington have disputed who should pay for Russia's supply shipments to the space station in the wake of Nasa's ban on launches since the Columbia shuttle tragedy in February. Crisis talks in the Netherlands at the weekend failed to bridge the divide.
The deadlock will result in the space station going unmanned on autopilot for six months of the year by January. "As Russia cannot alone continue to finance the station, we will have to mothball it," said Yuri Koptyev, director of the Russian space agency. The station's three crew arrived on November 26 and are due to be replaced by a crew of two in late April.
Washington says it is unable to make up the $50m hole in funding because of an obscure law that forbids Congress from granting funds to countries that help Iran's nuclear programme.
Moscow has denied that its extensive work on the programme is anything other than civilian in nature and "transparent".
Moscow and Washington have disputed who should pay for Russia's supply shipments to the space station in the wake of Nasa's ban on launches since the Columbia shuttle tragedy in February. Crisis talks in the Netherlands at the weekend failed to bridge the divide.
The deadlock will result in the space station going unmanned on autopilot for six months of the year by January. "As Russia cannot alone continue to finance the station, we will have to mothball it," said Yuri Koptyev, director of the Russian space agency. The station's three crew arrived on November 26 and are due to be replaced by a crew of two in late April.
Washington says it is unable to make up the $50m hole in funding because of an obscure law that forbids Congress from granting funds to countries that help Iran's nuclear programme.
Moscow has denied that its extensive work on the programme is anything other than civilian in nature and "transparent".
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