In NASA’s new contract with Russia to launch astronauts to ISS Russia has raised the ticket price from $63 million to $70.6 million per seat.
The competition heats up: In NASA’s new contract with Russia to launch astronauts to ISS, announced today, Russia has raised the ticket price from $63 million to $70.6 million per seat.
Since the fall of the Soviet Union the Russians have become very good capitalists indeed. Consider: the price the Russians were charging for a single ticket on Soyuz was about $33 million in 2004, when George Bush announced the planned retirement of the shuttle. Since then they have repeatedly jacked up the price, knowing that we have no where else to go.
In the end, these price increases are actually a good thing, as they will make it easier for the new American companies to undercut them while simultaneously making a bigger profit.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
The competition heats up: In NASA’s new contract with Russia to launch astronauts to ISS, announced today, Russia has raised the ticket price from $63 million to $70.6 million per seat.
Since the fall of the Soviet Union the Russians have become very good capitalists indeed. Consider: the price the Russians were charging for a single ticket on Soyuz was about $33 million in 2004, when George Bush announced the planned retirement of the shuttle. Since then they have repeatedly jacked up the price, knowing that we have no where else to go.
In the end, these price increases are actually a good thing, as they will make it easier for the new American companies to undercut them while simultaneously making a bigger profit.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
http://www.citizensinspace.org/2013/04/will-nasa-cut-commercial-resupply-services/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=will-nasa-cut-commercial-resupply-services
SpaceX and Orbital Sciences are about to discover what a “contract” with the government actually means.
Govt. makes the penalties, they don’t take the penalties.
I have to agree. Anything that promotes the private sector aerospace industry is a good and, I also believe, economically healthy thing not only for this country but for the world. Also, as a fellow lover of all things outer space, it’s not slipped by me that our continuing involvement in space commerce keeps the doors wide open for better and alternative funding for the continued exploration of our cosmos and I find that to be encouraging as well as exciting. Of course, my famous Soviet Russian character, Zangief, as quoted in Street Fighter IV, when asked what he thought of the new Russia, called it “a pussy capitalist regime”. LOL! He drinks a LOT of vodka. ‘Nuff said.
Always a pleasure to hear you on the radio and I miss your wonderful laugh. Let’s all do dinner when you’re in New York.
Mike Fass
Zangief from “Street Fighter: The Later Years”
Yo Mike,
To quote Bob Herzberg, “Whatever.”
Seriously, glad to hear from you. I hope all is well in New York, though I can tell you without doubt that things are better here in Arizona.
My sister, Arline, will agree with you, I’m sure. She’s living out in Suarita right at the desert’s edge. Plus the array of stars visible in our small neighborhood in the spiral arm of the Milky Way from Arizona is spectacular beyond description! The average New Yorker who’s never been outside city limits would probably think there are only between 18 and 20 stars in visible range of our side of the Earth, LOL!
Hope you’ll shoot me an email when you get a chance so I can give you my new number. Otherwise I’d have to quote from one of Mr. Herzberg’s favorite western movie lines, “What kind of a man are you, Zimmerman?”
LOL! Love ya, Bob!
>..In the end, these price increases are actually a good thing, as they will make it easier for the new
> American companies to undercut them while simultaneously making a bigger profit…
That would of course first need there to BE any American companies that could offer competing services. First launch of commercial crews not for abut 4-5 years – add a couple years to certify and be ready to carry folks — course the stations not scheduled to stil be flying then.
Then of course you’d need to be cost competitive. Each Falcon/Dragon launch costs NASA $400 M in total costs (no Bob, $140M is just the launch cost paid to SpaceX, not the total costs to NASA.) so if they lift 4 folks a trip – $100M a seat for NASA. More then that could exceed ISS’ carrying capacity, but if you assume 6 passengers, its still $67M per seat, compared to the russians $70.6 million per seat, assuming no price increases at all to fly crew vrs cargo on a flight – and assuming ISS can suppoprt 6 and has lifeboat capacity for them.
I think the Russians have judged the market correctly.