Mars Next Step

The Following extract is from Milparade's Russian and CIS Aerospace and Arms Market News:

RUSSIA, US EXPERTS WILL BUILD ISS, THEN FLY TO MARS

Managing director of the Russian Aerospace Agency Yuri Koptev, speaking on July 12 at a post-launching news conference, devoted to the successful fire-off of the Russian Zvezda service module (SM), said "we were plodding ahead for several years, overcoming difficulties, to the Wednesday event. But the strength of the Russian space industry lies in pulling up our forces in time and hurdling all roadblocks".

The news conference was held at the Baikonur cosmodrome and was transmitted to the NASA mission control centre (MCC).

Koptev thanked specialists of "the entire Russian space industry as well as his American friend, NASA director-general Daniel Goldin, who believed and supported this project even at the most difficult times".

Goldin noted in reply that this Wednesday is the happiest day in his life. Russia and the U.S. have realised what they had been marching to for many years. Stubbornness of Russians is incredible, Goldin noted. The NASA chief added that Russian specialists outlived a change of several governments, financial crises, but despite all this, Russian rockets continued to blast off into outer space.

The NASA director predicted that the United States and Russia would build together the International Space Station (ISS) and then will streak towards Mars.

Reference:

http://rcaam.milparade.com/free/00256.htm
Milparade's Russian and CIS Aerospace and Arms Market News: 17th, JULY, 2000

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