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

[Igor Lissov]

Well,

>   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. 


Is Mr. Manber going to finance Russian involvement in ISS too?!
This would be a disaster...

I see this as a complete failure of MirCorp to provide promised
funding for Mir. As a result (of this failure - and of governmental
sabotage as well), Energiya doesn't have ready Progress vehicles to
save Mir from orbital decay and to support our ISS commitments
*at the same time right now*.

I think we're just weeks from final decision on Mir fate.
My modelling shows Mir decay in January 2001 if not reboosted.

Igor Lissov