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Russia Aims towards the Red Planet

Russia's Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) has announced its intentions to build a low-orbit space station, which, according to the agency, will support future exploration of the moon and Mars. The project proposal is already on its way to be reviewed by the Russian government, along with a suggestion to extend the operational lifespan of the International Space Station (ISS) by five more years, setting its "retirement date" to 2020.

"We will soon propose to our government a project to construct a low-orbit complex, which could serve as a foundation for the implementation of the lunar program and later on - the Mars program," Alexei Krasnov, director of manned flight programs at Roscosmos, said in a news conference which was held in Moscow on January 29th. "We are looking at the moon in a mid-term perspective, and would want not only to go there and come back, but to establish a lunar base, which would allow us to start exploring Mars in the future." The agency seeks both funding and legislative approval from the government, saying this program could greatly contribute to future development of Moon's resources and serve as a stepping-stone for further space exploration, including possible missions to Mars. Details are yet scarce on the new space station, but scientists in Russia and worldwide have already set their eyes on Mars as the next milestone in space exploration.

With the construction of the ISS being behind schedule by at least five years, its pure operational period has shrunk to as little as five years. This is due to recent estimates, according to which the space station's construction will be completed no earlier than 2010, while its retirement date remains scheduled at 2015. The possibility of such a scenario has led many scientists to propose "alternative uses" for the ISS - among these an idea sto convert the ISS into some kind of an interplanetary transport vehicle, which will serve as the "ultimate mother ship" in manned planetary missions to the moon or even Mars.

While the idea does seem a bit "sci-fi," some experts say it is in fact based on some strong logic - the ISS, which spans over 15,000 cubic feet of habitable space, is already set with relatively vast working and living areas. Moreover, the craft, which can comfortably host at least five permanent crew members, can also repair itself using a robotic arm that can be controlled from the inside - all these do seem to make the space station a tested candidate for interplanetary travel.

 

 Aiming for the red planet (Credit: NASA)
Aiming for the Red Planet (Credit: NASA)
Roscosmos is working hard to push the project forward in hopes it will bring the agency closer to realizing some of its most wished for ambitions, eventually allowing it to set up a base on the Moon and using it to launch the very first manned expedition to the Red Planet. The major challenge currently standing in the way of Roscosmos is getting the approval and continued funding from all other ISS member states. "We are considering the extension of ISS service life at least until 2020, but this decision must be adopted by the governments of all 15 countries participating in the project," said Krasnov.

Apart from the eleven members of the European Space Agency (ESA), the ISS project also includes NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Effective collaboration between the space agencies is crucial for the future of the project. "Everything depends on funding, the state of international partnerships, and perspective projects in the field" - said Anatoly Perminov, head of the Russian Federal Space Agency. 

TFOT has previously written a number of articles regarding the International Space Station - among these you can find our coverage following NASA's recently announced plans to outsource upcoming re-supply missions to the International Space Station. You might also be interested in articles covering NASA's most recent space missions, such as the STS-126.   More information on this project can be found at Roscosmos' website.

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If anyone roams across Sydney as much as I do, then one would inevitably find oneself raising that hand, getting into that taxi and dreading that meter going up and up while he takes you to your destination.

But like many others, I've found that some of the best conversations I've ever had were with cabbies.

The last one I met was a Polish engineer who proceeded to explain to me how to pave the outside of my house from scratch, because the "professionals" don't know how to do it properly. He was unimpressed and blatantly questioned why I was studying law while stating that "engineers are respected a lot more in Europe than in the West". Honestly, he seemed far more educated than me.

Before him there was another driver who engaged me in a stimulating conversation about Indian poetry and literature. With another, I had an argument about raising children in different cultures.

The reason for this is one that we've heard almost too often - qualified immigrants come to Australia, their expertise is refused recognition, and they get stuck driving people around the city when their true skills obviously lie elsewhere.

We can't help these guys get a job. But next time you sit in a cab, don't be afraid to have a chat. You never know who you might be talking to.  

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4 mar

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Why has homepage started running so many nameless 100 word eds? Names are good for intellectual continuity, honesty and non-hypocrisy. - Terry McGee

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Re: Bale de Rua

We thought the Bale de Rua was aweful. Choreography was terrible - set design, music and costumes were lacklustre. The dancers however were very athletic and graceful. - Jules

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Re: In Praise of Mediocrity

I just wonder who decides if what ever you chose to do in life, is mediocre or not. Sounds like with standards like yours, this article with its poor structure and soap box appeal may also be considered by many as, in-fact, mediocre. - Khedra

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Re: The Assassins of Langley

Yes, Mr. Neville. Odious, heinous assassins sold body and soul to Luciferian entities who pull the strings (the last of them, I want to believe) from the shadows. Philip Aggeee and John Stockwell portrayed them quite well. They are NOT heroes, nor are the gangbangers of East Los Angeles who spray grafitti in Iraq, where they most certainly train for urban warfare on our streets. Good riddance to them all!

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Re: Hairy Legs: A Study of Female Art, Feminism and Femininity

 Looking forward to more of her articles. Hope she does plenty of Art Theory at SCA. Barbara Kruger and Judy Chicago are certainly powerful artists and it would be interesting to see what they are doing now.

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A hero's welcome for the famous Iraqi shoe thrower

Terrorist! Please do your research first before writing such dangerous things, we was insulting Bush by throwing the shoe as he was disgraced with him, not trying to topple the largest super power in the world by throwing a shoe. I cant believe you have put those words up. Ashamed

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Re: How to Report the News

Having worked as a TV news reporter I found Charlie's piece very amusing - some of us have long believed reporting like this is a rubbish way to do things! But even if a journalist wants to tell stories in a more authentic and engaging way, the constraints of the so-called "house style" in many news organisations make it difficult to achieve. What's needed is a massive culture shift and a complete re-think of what we understand quality broadcast news reporting is. And guess what? That's exactly what's happening, though you'd never believe it from what we're still mostly seeing on TV. Anyway, the new digital technologies, and shake up of "old school/old mainstream" journalism means new platforms and styles of "news" storytelling can now emerge. Let's hope fresh and appropriate ways of funding appear too, so we can kill off this dreadful formulaic reporting and delivery, and clear the way for more natural and interesting ways to treat stories and content.

Much love, Ian Aspin.
www.twitter.com/ianaspin

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Re: Pushing 60 With Pot

You're pushing 60, well I'm pushing 70 and still having to scrounge around for my pot. It's tragic that when I first came to Australia it was $30 an ounce, and now I have to pay nearly $350 - Peter

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Re: Textbook publishers dream of the tablet

Why can't this just be a program for PC and Windows? Why do they have to make us buy more hardware that's just going to disappoint? - Tyler J. Wilson

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Re: Killing Indian Students: Australia's Favourite New Sport!- by Sean Maguire

How about the indian guy who slashed his wife's throat, is still australia to blame for?..may be , for accenpting them to move over!I am an immigrant myself but I love this country, there is no perfect place on Earth but australia is one of the best! - Michael

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This entire fiasco is an incredible over reaction. Australia is an easy target. Why? because we are honest, transperant and we talk about our failings. Is there aggression and iolence in Australia? Sure, like any country. But we face it head on and we work to eliminate it. What about the stories of the 100’s of thousands of Indian workers who are treated as slaves in the middle east and nobody says anything? What about the fact that India still has entrenched pedophilia in terms of child brides? What about the crushing poverty embraced by more than 60% of the Indian people while this nation runs around building nuclear warheads? A storm in a teacup, an over reaction, and a diversion from some the really bad issues facing India. What is really happening here is that students are being unnecessarily frightened. meaning they will miss out on what could be the opportunity of their lifetime. - Daryl
 
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I couldn't agree with Sean Maguire's article more on the recent Indian attacks. For all those who like the pretend the attacks are merely based on coincidence, try to imagine how we would react if the boot were on the other foot and an uncharacteristic number of Australia's had been murdered in India. Would you push for a travel ban? Would you be scared for your children in a seemingly hostile environment so many miles away?  - Kara Jensen-Mackinnon

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