NASA-ROSCOSMOS COOPERATION, AND A STRANGE STATEMENT…
Mr. P.H. sent us this one, and I have to share it, since it fits the pattern of space stories we've been watching lately, and because it contains a rather astonishing statement, as we shall see, one which gives fuel to our high octane speculation of the day:
Russian-American space cooperation not affected by sanctions
Notably, while the article concentrates on the NASA-Roscosmos cooperation and the lack of current terrestrial geopolitics having much of an effect on the current relationship, there is this suggestion of something looming on the horizon, that Russia might just decide to leave the USA in the space lurch:
RD: Let's come back to Russia. Some Russian pro-government experts, not necessarily affiliated with Roscosmos, suggest that Russia stop working with the U.S. and build its own international space station with the support of the BRICS. This would be totally separate from NASA. Do you think that it's technically possible?
B.J.: Technically, there is nothing to [prevent] Roscosmos from building a space station. But it's a decision by Roscosmos. They've been great partners as well as other nations. On the ISS, Roscosmos have been our major partner and we are going to continue this collaboration at least up to 2024.
Indeed, as we've reported on this website, there are those in Roscosmos, including its head, that have suggested that Russia should do just that. And if you'll recall years ago in the aftermath of the Phobos-Grunt probe, some Russian generals actually suggested, none too subtley, that the probe had been sabotaged by faulty computer chips and "radar interference", leaving little to the imagination as to who they thought may have been behind it.
But then comes this, and with it, our high octane speculation:
RD: How would you see the odds of the Russian space program and, particularly, its plans to go to the moon amidst the lack of funding, the country’s tight budget and, more importantly, the sanctions?
B.J.: I don't see any reasons why Russia couldn't do that. In fact, we can provide our assistance to Russia and a couple of other nations who are interested in exploring the moon. We know that the moon is a great target for exploration. We've had our Apollo program in the 1960s.
In fact, we've never left the moon and we have been looking for water and other materials that can be found on the lunar surface. We are prepared to help not just all nations but also Roscosmos and commercial providers to get to the moon when they are ready.
But at the same time, we are focused on getting beyond the moon. We want to send our astronauts further in space than ever before. We are getting all the information that we can to send our astronauts to Mars. So, other nations are excited about the moon, we are excited for them but we are focused on Mars.
RD: It may seem that you've already negotiated the spheres of the influence in space with Russia. You're going to Mars, you're working very closely with the European Space Agency while Russia, China and India are going to the moon.
B.J.: All depends on the individual nation, its desires and its space program. Roscosmos is cooperating with the European Space Agency on the Mars lander. We are in the process of building the Mars 2020 robot. (All italicized emphasis added)
First, note the reference to having negotiated "sphere of influence" with Russia, a statement to which no direct response is really given. But the really intriguing statement is that "we've never left the moon and we have been looking for water and other materials that can be found on the lunar surface." One way to read this, is the rather obvious one, namely, that "not leaving the moon" simply is a rhetorical expression to emphasize the fact that NASA continues to be interested in the Moon.
But this - and here comes my high octane speculation - would seem to be contraindicated by the fact that, at least publicly, only the Clementine probe to map the Moon was sent by the USA to the Moon, and even that was a Pentagon mission. So the statement implies something else, for if the only post-Apollo moon probe sent to the moon was a mapping mission for the Pentagon, and this is the only publicly known probe, then the statements really imply that there has been an ongoing secret project involving the moon, one moreover involving the development of its resources.
And once again, this is being aired in a Russian-related media source.
See you on the flip side...
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Reminds me of an old mafia wise (wiseguy) saying: keep your friends close to you and your enemies even closer.
It would be funny if the Russians, Chinese, etc finally get to the Moon and the only thing they find is Hitler’s cane. Or a foo Fighter. Or, how about a grave site for the canine cosmonaut who was mercillesly launched into space by the Russians with no hope of return. Or, maybe just leave the dog on a barbecue spit in that bacteria free environment to tease the Chinese and demonstrate some one upmanship to the Russians. I would wager If the dog-loving Hitler was in charge of the Nazi International at the time of that sadistic mission, he certainly would have rescued that poor Soviet space dog with some nazi spacecraft. May we all pray that news of this wretched treatment of that dog never goes viral across the galaxy and reaches the large ears of those dog-headed aliens the Egyptians paid homage to.
So much coffee… so many ruined screens…
Seriously Frankie you’ve got some crazy talent and imagination, please tell me you write somewhere else as well, I’d love to see your handy work.
It’d be such a shame for so much talent to go to waste, you ever thought of a conspiracy comic strip?
Classic Frankie.
Loved it!
More space malarkey between the US and Russia isn’t news. On the one hand they sanction Russia and the next day they are buying Russian rockets!!!
Regarding the moon, “WHO KNOWS”, there has been more controversy over this small “ball of mysteries” than anything in space. Did they go or didn’t they, and on and on it goes, but I think Richard C. Hoagland and Mike Bara nailed it with their book “Dark Mission”, all those years ago. Until “somebody else” gets up there with boots on the ground, then the ball of mysteries will stay just that.
“But this… would seem to be contraindicated by the fact that, at least publicly, only the Clementine probe to map the Moon was sent by the USA to the Moon, and even that was a Pentagon mission.”
Huh? You have five unmanned NASA missions to the moon (counting Apollo and its goofy, happy-go-lucky, golf-playing, buggy riding (really? in 1971?) and oh-so-glib “astronauts”):
*Ranger from ’61-65
*Surveyor ’66-68
*Clementine in ’94, for which the public never got to see anything of the resolution it was capable of photographing the lunar surface
*Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and LCROSS in ’09
Granted, it’s not a massive presence, but that is 1/6 of all NASA programs to date, from Telstar to the Mars rovers. So I wouldn’t say that NASA has neglected the Moon, though I’m quite sure that they are extremely ambivalent about it, due to that dubious Apollo interlude.
Gee, so we’re making deals with the “Evil Empire” and it appears they are willing partners. This implies serious levels of cooperation. Where there is proxy war on one stage and mutual cooperation on another. It’s like watching different sitcoms produced and directed by the same production companies. People need to learn that there is something else going on due to this very interesting Russian policy inconsistency. This could be categorized in the UK, US, USSR joint nuking of Antarctica in 1952-3.(?)file.
And what about Russian/US conflict?
http://lendman.blogspot.com/
Ooops!
http://sjlendman.blogspot.com/
Anyone for a secret Apollo 18 through 20 missions and has space been divided up like the Americas was between the USA and Russia. Like the treaty that divided the Americas between Portugal and Spain in the sixteenth century.
Precisely.
…and another way to read it is:
We Own It.
They are dividing up the solar system, this time (apparently) without any help from the Pope.
He’ll settle for the solar souls.