[FPSPACE] Re: Mir was a backup to Zvezda Service Module

[dconst+@pyrrhus.cimds.ri.cmu.edu]

> After Zvezda was successfully launched, my contact was not surprised to see Energia lose interest in Mir.

On the other hand, here is the latest word from MirCorp:

Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2000 11:30:14 PDT
Organization: Copyright 2000 by Agence France-Presse (via ClariNet)

   MOSCOW, Oct 16 (AFP) - Russia will not be able to sustain its  
involvement in the International Space Station (ISS) if it scraps 
the ailing Mir station, the head of MirCorp charged with raising 
funds for Mir said Monday. 

   "Russia is committed to launching 17 special missions to the ISS  
in 2001-2002, but it is hard to believe the Russian government will 
be able to finance them," MirCorp boss Jeffrey Manber told a press 
conference here. 

   "The only way to fulfill these obligations is to assure the  
survival of Mir," he said, adding that private capital invested in 
the decrepit Soviet-era space station could help finance Russia's 
participation in the ISS. 

[...]