Russia to NASA: Use trampolines to get into space

You know, it might be time to come up with a "Plan B", and you've got to feel sorry for any American who is up there right now.

Tension between the U.S. space agency NASA seems to have hit an all-time high.

In a short tweet posted on Wednesday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin suggested U.S. astronauts consider exploring alternative methods of transportation to the International Space Station (ISS).

“After analyzing the sanctions against our space industry, I suggest to the USA to bring their astronauts to the International Space Station using a trampoline,” Rogozin tweeted. (Source)

I gotta hand it to him, though, that's pretty amusing assessment of the current United States space program.

I'm not sure a translator would give me the Russian for what I would want to say to the Russians for that suggestion.

Mothers and unnatural acts top the list of mental imagery.....

LOL...

Trampoline in to space, yes of course!
Good thing the US has something in the works and won't need to pull out that trampoline just yet.

The United States is dependent on the Russian Soyuz to bring astronauts to the space station. The U.S. method of transportation ceased in 2011 after the space shuttle retired, and commercial spacecraft, though being developed, are not expected to be ready until about 2017.

That said, one of the developers of these spacecraft — SpaceX CEO Elon Musk — wrote on Twitter that the public will soon see the unveiling of the human-rated Dragon spacecraft that the company has been working on with contract money from NASA. (The other funded spacecraft proposals are Boeing’s CST-100 and Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser).

Universe Today..

America accomplished many amazing things in WII. Maybe it's time for NASA and the private space companies to crank it up a notch!

a reply to: adjensen\

Look at the bright side. This may jump start our own space program again. Put NASA back on the map, so to speak.

I've never seen the reason to leave Russia in charge of our Astronauts, nor our space exploration program, in the first place.

Des

It's so fun when the gloomy depressed Russians try to be comical.

All hilarity aside, the U.S. really does need a new shuttle or three stat. My self-sufficient genes just never felt a warm fuzzy from relying on the Russians for shuttling people and supplies to the ISS.

ETA: Didn't some sci-fi novel use catapults to get spacecraft out of the earth's gravitational pull? Or am I dreaming stuff up again?

a reply to: Vasa Croe

LOL, one of my kids has that costume for space explorer play

And I laughed at Rogozin's comment. As much as it'll get me some nasty glares 'round these parts of the 'net, that's just funny, man XD

This is definetly the time to unveil something new if America has it. I really want to believe we do, but im not so sure we have anything besides old shuttles, and rockets that send satellites into space. gosh can we be this dumb, really

a reply to: Destinyone

Not likely Des... On NASA coming back from this, I mean. Under a different President? Maybe...then again, maybe not. NASA is throttled under 20 billion for TOTAL budget. That's Voyager I and II (still ongoing) to the mars rovers, to the STEREO probes, to ISS Operations for our share of expenses. Everything NASA has going or has in progress comes of that measly 20 Billion. It's a caretaker budget and it's not actually 20. It's under that.

So.. I would love to see the United States have some pride in a ride to space again, but it's been deemed below our national priorities to work as a serious thing. Russia, Iran, India, China and others see it as a VERY HIGH priority but we seem to have the attitude of 'Meh... been there, done that..waste of money. Have fun".

It's sad...but we've learned nothing from history. absolutely nothing at all. We've abdicated our lead in a field it was literally ours to lose ...and we'll pay dearly for that for generations to come, since other nations are very grateful for our moves as they exloit the gap to it's fullest.

Strategy and thinking beyond the next election cycle has simply become jobs Americans apparenrly don't want to do anymore. (sigh)

originally posted by: Destinyone
a reply to: adjensen\

Look at the bright side. This may jump start our own space program again. Put NASA back on the map, so to speak.

I've never seen the reason to leave Russia in charge of our Astronauts, nor our space exploration program, in the first place.

Des

Remember Obama put some big cuts on the Orion project.

originally posted by: Wrabbit2000
I'm not sure a translator would give me the Russian for what I would want to say to the Russians for that suggestion.

Mothers and unnatural acts top the list of mental imagery.....

Normaly I do agree with your opinions.

But on this I cant.

USA only has itself to blame. You led the space race and then blew it in the 80's and 90's on a white elephant called the shuttle coupled with crippling budget cuts to NASA.

If the US does not have a means to send its own men into space then that's your governments fault for its shortsightedness.

USA didn't have too and shouldn't of had to rely on a belligerent and unpredictable nation for taxi its men into space, it should have had a replacement for the shuttle years ago.

It pains me to say this as NASA made some huge leaps and done some great achievements , and then the US decided to rest on its laurels and give up and that honestly makes me sad.

originally posted by: ~Lucidity

All hilarity aside, the U.S. really does need a new shuttle or three stat.

GOD NO!

Wings in space don't work. The shuttle caused all manor of headaches and heart aches to to the difficultly of the thing. It was ahead of its time and over engineered.

Go back to capsules cheaper and more reliable. USA should have kept the Gemini program going, if it had it could have evolved into something really really good, you certainly wouldn't be relying on Russia.

I’ve always been a big fan of the space program. It’s one of the few noble things our country has ever embarked upon, and I think in the end will be the only thing to save at least some of our sorry butts when that day of reckoning gets here. Back in the day it provided not only the USA, but all of mankind, with a vision of the future and a sense of wonder and hope. It made our country great, and the world respected us for it.

Fast forward 45 years, and well, here we are. A has-been leader of the free world, a failed democracy fast becoming an oligarchy, falling behind in science and technology, and at the mercy of the Russian space program. China will soon be mining the moon while we sit here on our thumbs and argue about just how much to cut foodstamps. We provide the military with 600bn/yr to fight wars none of us want to be in while NASA gets the shaft and a measly 15-20bn/yr to conquer the final frontier and take man where he’s never gone before..

It’s pathetic. Hopefully commercial interests will get things off the ground before long. God knows we can’t count on our governmant to do anything. They’re much too busy doing NOTHING.

a reply to: adjensen

funny stuff....

a reply to: crazyewok
Capsules and then what? They're great to get into orbit and that's about it. Hell talk about catapulting, they had to catapult around the moon to get it pointed back to Earth, didn't they?

We need something like the starship Enterprise. That sorta has wings? Kinda.

I'm sure us Brits are working on something that takes off and lands like a plane...only can also go into orbit.

I'm sure once it's done we'll let you use it...for a nominal fee of course.

Well Beyond Space-X there is always Sierra Nevada Aerospace's Dream Chaser which is due for testing soon:





Also Orbital Science's Antares capsule has made a trip to the ISS already. I guess they could fast track human rating it.

originally posted by: woogleuk
I'm sure us Brits are working on something that takes off and lands like a plane...only can also go into orbit.

I'm sure once it's done we'll let you use it...for a nominal fee of course.

Skylon.

They've been working on it since the 1980s.

While there have been some recent breakthroughs there's no timeline on its first flight. They haven't even built the vehicle yet. Just prototype engines.

originally posted by: crazyewok

originally posted by: Wrabbit2000
I'm not sure a translator would give me the Russian for what I would want to say to the Russians for that suggestion.

Mothers and unnatural acts top the list of mental imagery.....

Normaly I do agree with your opinions.

But on this I cant.

USA only has itself to blame. You led the space race and then blew it in the 80's and 90's on a white elephant called the shuttle coupled with crippling budget cuts to NASA.

If the US does not have a means to send its own men into space then that's your governments fault for its shortsightedness.

USA didn't have too and shouldn't of had to rely on a belligerent and unpredictable nation for taxi its men into space, it should have had a replacement for the shuttle years ago.

It pains me to say this as NASA made some huge leaps and done some great achievements , and then the US decided to rest on its laurels and give up and that honestly makes me sad.

When the US taxpayer is willing to accept the tax rates of the 70s again then big things are possible. In this current, "me first' mentality where there is no common good and taxes must be cut at all costs regardless of what happens the only thing likely to get funded is the US military.

And some on these very boards would be fine with that.