Latvia signs Artemis Accords
According to a report out of Latvia today, that nation has now signed the Artemis Accords, becoming the 60th nation to join this American-led space alliance.
The report, which apparently comes from a government agency aimed at encouraging industry in Latvia, also noted that Latvia had this year also became a signatory to the Outer Space Treaty.
Because of the government shutdown, there has been as yet no confirmation of Latvia’s signing. If confirmed, the full list of Artemis Accords signatories is as follows: The full list of nations who have signed the accords: Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Peru, Poland, Romania, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, the Ukraine, the United States and Uruguay.
With this signing, not only have all the former European subject nations to the Soviet Union joined, so have Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia, all three of which were occupied and made part of the Soviet Union against their will after World War II. These events suggest that Russia’s neighbors really don’t like the bully that lives next door. It also suggests they are less fearful of it, as they are now willing to ally themselves with the U.S., located on the other side of the globe.
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
According to a report out of Latvia today, that nation has now signed the Artemis Accords, becoming the 60th nation to join this American-led space alliance.
The report, which apparently comes from a government agency aimed at encouraging industry in Latvia, also noted that Latvia had this year also became a signatory to the Outer Space Treaty.
Because of the government shutdown, there has been as yet no confirmation of Latvia’s signing. If confirmed, the full list of Artemis Accords signatories is as follows: The full list of nations who have signed the accords: Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Peru, Poland, Romania, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, the Ukraine, the United States and Uruguay.
With this signing, not only have all the former European subject nations to the Soviet Union joined, so have Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia, all three of which were occupied and made part of the Soviet Union against their will after World War II. These events suggest that Russia’s neighbors really don’t like the bully that lives next door. It also suggests they are less fearful of it, as they are now willing to ally themselves with the U.S., located on the other side of the globe.
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
It also suggests they are less fearful of it, as they are now willing to ally themselves with the U.S., located on the other side of the globe.
Well, sure, but they already joined NATO, which was surely about as robust a national security statement to make to Moscow as you can get! :)
Another Chihuahua barking.
Isn’t that where Dr Doom rules?
Close! Latveria. ;-)
Baltic Tail-End Charlie anent the Artemis Accords, but welcome aboard anyway.
Shallow Minded Reader,
Getting to be quite a chorus of those “chihuahuas.” I suppose it doesn’t hurt that the neighborhood bear is looking pretty old and toothless these days.
Real CouvMan,
Close. You’re thinking of the fictional land of Latveria. Pretty much a totalitarian Lichtenstein with the serial numbers filed off. It probably borders the equally fictional Zenda, Graustark, Axphain and Dawsbergen. Maybe even the Grand Duchy of Fenwick.
“made part of the Soviet Union against their will after World War II”
The Baltic States were absorbed by the Soviet Union in 1940, at a point when France, Germany, and Britain were otherwise occupied, but Stalin still had some attention to spare for such things.
Call Me Ishmael,
Correct. A lot of people conveniently forget that Stalin and Hitler were allies up until the latter kicked off Operation Barbarossa in June of ’41. Besides the Baltics, Stalin also snapped up 2/3 of Poland and a chunk of Finland in the not quite 22 months between the start of WW2 and Hitler’s doublecross of Stalin.
Dick Eagleson: Of roaring mice and men.
Zenda? I think I knew a guy that went to prison there…
… But he made his escape after a pie fight.
Signing a pact hardly made them allies.
They were both trying to buy time.
Non aggression pact is not the same as an alliance pact. Otherwise Russia would have actively supported Germany’s actions, not tacitly.
Stalin wanted more time to consolidate power internally, but in the end, was able to use the invasion as a means to mobilize the people as one.
Hitler wanted more time for some tech and experience, and ended up jumping way to soon, and it cost him, well, everything. Contrary to popular opinion, the war was decided on the Eastern Front.
sippin_bourbon observed: “Contrary to popular opinion, the war was decided on the Eastern Front.”
I would tend to agree, The Eastern Front for the Germans was a resource black hole. Seriously, had none of the German High Command learned from Napoleon, or anyone else who challenged the Russian Winter? In 1942, the distance between the two Fronts was 2500 miles, and the Western press were uninterested in events 3 time zones away, when your London office was getting bombed nightly. By 1943, the outlines of war were very different.