Space


2001 Space News

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

    December

  • A Statement Made by Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 13, 2001, Regarding the Decision of the Administration of the United States of America to Withdraw from the Antiballistic Missile Treaty of 1972, MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION: INFORMATION AND PRESS DEPARTMENT, December 14, 2001 -- "As is known, Russia, like the United States and unlike other nuclear powers, has long possessed an effective system to overcome anti-missile defense. So, I can say with full confidence that the decision made by the President of the United States does not pose a threat to the national security of the Russian Federation."

    November

  • Transcript: Effective Missile Defense for U.S. High Priority, Rice Says, Washington File, November 08, 2001 -- "Acquiring an effective missile defense system for the United States and its allies is one of President Bush's highest priorities, and he believes the only way to get there is a robust testing and evaluation system, and eventual deployment, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice told reporters at a White House briefing November 8"
  • Text: Wolfowitz Says Changes in ABM Treaty Won't Threaten China, Washington File, November 02, 2001 -- "U.S. efforts to change the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty don't threaten China, says Paul Wolfowitz, deputy secretary of defense."

    October

    September

  • NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE?, VOA, September 19, 2001 -- "One of the many sub-themes of editorials in the United States press about last week's terrorist attack is that it was carried out with low-technology. As some have pointed out, the hijackers who took over four U-S commercial airliners and used three of them as guided missiles, used about 30-dollars worth of small knives and box-cutters."
  • Biden Says Bush Missile Defense Plan Could Trigger New Arms Race, Washington File, September 10, 2001 -- "The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has delivered a broadside against the Bush administration's missile defense proposal, calling it dangerous nonsense that could propel a new arms race even as it steals scarce funds from real defense needs."
  • RICE/MISSILE DEFENSE, VOA, September 9, 2001 -- "Two members of the Bush administration are again defending the president's decision to move ahead with testing and deployment of a national missile defense system - even if it means breaking the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty with Russia. And the White House is moving ahead with discussions with China and Russia, two countries THAT oppose the system"
  • Senate Committee Cuts Missile Defense Spending Below Bush Request, Washington File, September 07, 2001 -- "The Senate Armed Services Committee has approved a $343,000 million defense authorization bill for fiscal year 2002 that cuts some $1,300 million from the Bush administration's top priority missile defense program"
  • Fact Sheet: State Dept. on Missile Defense and Deterrence, Washington File, September 07, 2001 -- "The following fact sheet was prepared by the Arms Control Bureau of the U.S. Department of State. It cites emerging threats and a need to diversify the U.S. approach to deterrence, and touches upon U.S. missile defense and Russia and China"
  • SENATE-MISSILE DEFENSE , VOA, September 7, 2001 -- "President Bush's proposed missile defense network has suffered a setback in Congress. A key Senate committee has voted to limit tests of the system and cut its funding."
  • PROSPECTS FOR MISSILE DEFENSE, VOA, September 7, 2001 -- "President Bush is now battling to save his missile defense program from opposition Democratic efforts in Congress to cut it. That reflects the wider national debate over the value of missile defense in terms of its cost, effectiveness and impact on the rest of the world, where there is much skepticism about the program"
  • PENTAGON-MISSILE DEFENSE, VOA, September 5, 2001 -- "The Bush administration has declared it will not turn a blind eye to China's military buildup in return for Beijing accepting American missile defenses. The president's missile defense plans and Pentagon budget are being coolly received by some in Congress."

    August

  • Bush Nominates Myers to Chair Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington File, August 24, 2001 -- "President Bush has nominated Air Force General Richard Myers to become the 15th chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the most senior military advisor in the United States"
  • RUSSIA / U-S / ARMS, VOA, August 24, 2001 -- "A senior American official has again said the United States has not set a deadline for finding agreement with Russia on resolving the future of a key arms control treaty. The latest comment came Friday following talks in Moscow between U-S Undersecretary of State John Bolton and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov"
  • Transcript: Bolton Missile Defense Interview in Moscow, Washington File, August 22, 2001 -- "The United States hopes to reach an accommodation with Russia on the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty as it researches, tests and develops a missile defense program, says John Bolton, under secretary of state for arms control and international security affairs."
  • SHUTTLE LANDING, VOA, August 22, 2001 -- "The U-S space shuttle Discovery has landed in Florida with three international space station crewmembers returning from nearly six months in orbit. The trio faces extensive reconditioning to gravity."
  • U-S-Russia Arms, VOA, August 17, 2001 -- "The Bush administration says it has not set a November deadline for resolving differences with Moscow over the future of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. But it also says there will come a point -- in a matter of months -- when Moscow will either have to accept changes in the 1972 agreement, or the United States will withdraw from it."
  • SPACE STATION, VOA, August 17, 2001 -- "Aboard the international space station, the incoming and outgoing crews have formally exchanged command. The crew of the space shuttle Discovery, which is docked at the station, is preparing for another spacewalk Saturday"
  • SPACE STATION, VOA, August 15, 2001 -- "The outgoing and incoming international space station crews are keeping busy with the change in command while visiting space shuttle astronauts clean the outpost of its trash and prepare for a spacewalk Thursday. The first woman to inhabit the station says she is reluctant to leave after five-and-a-half months"
  • SPACE STATION, VOA, August 14, 2001 -- "The crew of the space shuttle Discovery has beaten the clock and unloaded tons of new supplies for the international space station ahead of schedule. In the meantime, the outgoing Russian commander of the outpost is eager to get home after five-and-a-half months in orbit"
  • SPACE SHUTTLE, VOA, August 13, 2001 -- "The third international space station crew has moved in, after arriving at the outpost Sunday aboard the U-S space shuttle Discovery. Tons of new supplies are going in with them."
  • RUSSIA / RUMSFELD, VOA, August 12, 2001 -- "Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has arrived in Moscow for meetings with his Russian counterpart. Irris Makler reports from the Russian capital that the talks are expected to focus on the future of the anti-ballistic-missile treaty"
  • ON THE LINE: BUILDING MISSILE DEFENSES, VOA, August 11, 2001 -- "After a successful test in July of an interceptor that destroyed an intercontinental ballistic missile high over the Pacific Ocean, the United States is proceeding with plans to develop and deploy a limited national missile defense system. These plans run counter to the thirty-year-old Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which President George Bush has said it is time to "move beyond." The A-B-M treaty was negotiated with the Soviet Union and prohibits nationwide defenses against long-ranged missiles. At their meeting in Genoa, Italy, however, President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to work toward a new "strategic framework" that would embrace both missile defense and substantial cuts in the two countries' nuclear arsenals. Nevertheless, critics say missile defenses are unnecessary, unworkable, and may set off a new arms race."
  • RUMSFELD / RUSSIA, VOA, August 10, 2001 -- "Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld leaves Saturday for Moscow and what officials say will be an intense day of meetings on missile defense. The United States is setting modest objectives for the talks with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov."
  • SHUTTLE-SPACE STATION OVERVIEW, VOA, August 10, 2001 -- "The international space station is about to get its third U-S/Russian crew in less than one year. The new team lifted off aboard the U-S space shuttle Discovery late Friday to relieve the current station crew, which has been in orbit for about five-months"
  • SHUTTLE-SPACE STATION OVERVIEW, VOA, August 09, 2001 -- "The crew of the international space station will have to wait at least one more day for replacement. Thursday's launch of the U-S space shuttle Discovery, which carries supplies and a new crew to the space station, was called off because of bad weather"

    July

  • U-S/MISSILE DEFENSE, VOA, July 31, 2001 -- "In its fourth attempt to hit a ballistic missile with another missile in space, the United States succeeded. The test was limited, but Republicans were encouraged to move ahead with the anti-missile program, while Democrats remain doubtful and want to cut its funding. A U-S Senate hearing in which these contrasting views were sharply expressed."
  • U-S/MISSILE DEFENSE , VOA, July 31, 2001 -- "The Bush administration may be within months of breaching the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. So says a Pentagon group reviewing the administration's missile defense plans."
  • BUSH/MISSILE DEFENSE, VOA, July 29, 2001 -- "President Bush's National Security Advisor says there has been progress with Russia in efforts to bridge the gap on the controversial issue of missile defense. Condoleezza Rice says the United States is trying to convince Moscow to move beyond the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which restricts development of defensive systems."
  • U.S.-RUSSIA: BUSH 'POCKETS UNEXPECTED SUCCESS' ON MISSILE DEFENSE, Office of Research, Foreign Media Reaction, July 26, 2001 -- "The Bush-Putin deal linking talks on missile defense and strategic arms cuts met with notably positive reviews in overseas media. Most opinionmakers in Russia, NATO states and elsewhere in Asia and Latin America judged the Genoa meeting of minds to be a hopeful, albeit unexpected, "step forward" in "overcoming differences" on MD, and perhaps "paving the way to modifying the ABM Treaty." Some painted a more ambitious picture, musing that the U.S. and Russia could outline a welcome post-Cold War framework for disarmament"
  • SENATE-MISSILE DEFENSE, VOA, July 24, 2001 -- "The debate over President Bush's proposed missile defense system is heating up in the U-S Congress. On Tuesday, the Bush plan prompted a skeptical reaction from Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee"
  • BUSH/MISSILE DEFENSE, VOA, July 23, 2001 -- "President Bush says he wants to give Russia ample time to come to some sort of agreement on missile defense. But he makes clear he will not wait forever. Bush was asked about the missile defense controversy in Rome where he met with Italian leaders and Pope John Paul the Second."
  • STATION / SPACEWALK, VOA, July 21, 2001 -- "U-S astronauts have inaugurated the international space station's new doorway to space. The astronauts floated outside the outpost for four hours Saturday to install the last of four gas tanks that pressurize the passageway."
  • PENTAGON/RUSSIA, VOA, July 19, 2001 -- "A top Pentagon official says the United States would like Russia to have the ability to defend itself against limited missile attack. A new tactic in the Pentagon's search for Congressional support for development of a U-S missile-defense system"
  • SHUTTLE-SPACE STATION, VOA, July 18, 2001 -- "Space shuttle Atlantis astronauts have hooked up three gas tanks for the newly installed airlock on the International Space Station. The operation was delayed because of computer problems."
  • MISSILE DEFENSE: 'NEW MOMENTUM,' BUT OPPOSITION ONGOING, Office of Research, Foreign Media Reaction, July 17, 2001 -- "Overseas opinionmakers viewed with a familiar mix of irritation and resignation the Bush administration's "stepped-up" push for missile defense (MD) over the past week. Analysts conceded that the release of a State Department "warning" memo, Deputy Defense Sec. Wolfowitz's Hill testimony and the successful intercept missile test all conspired to "give a much needed boost" and lend "an air of inevitability" to MD"
  • SHUTTLE-SPACE STATION, VOA, July 17, 2001 -- "Minor technical problems with the international space station's new exterior passageway may delay the first spacewalk from the port by one day. This would extend the shuttle "Atlantis'" visit by 24 hours."
  • SHUTTLE-SPACE STATION, VOA, July 17, 2001 -- "Space shuttle Atlantis astronauts are performing a second spacewalk to work on a newly-installed airlock on the International Space Station. The mission has been extended one day because of minor technical problems."
  • CHINA / U-S MISSILE, VOA, July 16, 2001 -- "Chinese officials say the U-S plan to build a missile defense system will undermine global stability. The statement comes after a successful U-S missile test, Saturday."
  • BUSH MISSILE DEFENSE, VOA, July 15, 2001 -- "President Bush's hopes for a missile defense system got a big boost Saturday when the Pentagon staged a successful test of key technology. A missile interceptor successfully hit a mock nuclear warhead over the Pacific Ocean. White House officials say Mr. Bush was pleased with the results."
  • PENTAGON/MISSILE DEFENSE, VOA, July 14, 2001 -- "Pentagon officials say a missile interceptor has soared into the skies over a tiny Pacific island and destroyed a mock nuclear warhead traveling through space."
  • SHUTTLE-SPACE STATION, VOA, July 14, 2001 -- "The U-S space shuttle Atlantis has docked with the international space station, bringing the outpost a new gateway for spacewalkers."
  • SHUTTLE SPACEWALK PREVIEW, VOA, July 14, 2001 -- "U-S astronauts will venture outside the shuttle Atlantis later today to help install a new passageway to space on the international space station. The gateway will allow spacewalkers to come and go from the outpost for the first time."
  • PENTAGON / MISSILE DEFENSE, VOA, July 13, 2001 -- "The Pentagon is preparing for its first major missile defense test in over a year late Saturday (eds: sometime between 10pm and 2am EDT). The Air Force general in charge of the missile defense development program says he is quietly confident."
  • PENTAGON / MISSILE DEFENSE, VOA, July 13, 2001 -- "The head of the U-S missile defense program says he is cautiously optimistic about Saturday's planned missile interceptor test over the Pacific."
  • PENTAGON/MISSILE DEFENSE, VOA, July 12, 2001 -- "The Pentagon is planning to move ahead with new missile-defense construction that senior officials acknowledge could soon breach the terms of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty."
  • PENTAGON/MISSILES, VOA, July 10, 2001 -- "The Pentagon has confirmed its latest budget request to Congress includes funds to expand its missile defense test facilities. These include sites in Alaska, where defense officials envision eventual deployment of an operational, ground-based missile interceptor system."
  • SHUTTLE-SPACE STATION OVERVIEW, VOA, July 9, 2001 -- "The U-S space shuttle Atlantis is poised to take off [has taken off] from Florida with a new entryway for the International Space Station. The mission is one month late because of technical problems with the station's new robot arm. The arm, now fixed, will perform its first assembly task by mounting the entryway on the outpost."
  • RUMSFELD / MISSILE DEFENSE, VOA, July 9, 2001 -- "U-S Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is warning against any oversimplified reactions to the missile defense test set for later this week.">
  • U-S/MISSILE DEFENSE, VOA, July 6, 2001 -- "The United States is going ahead with another test of its controversial missile defense system."

    June

    May

  • Missile Defense: Reaction To Bush Speech, Office of Research, Foreign Media Reaction, 8 May 2001 -- "President Bush's May 1st speech outlining his intention to pursue a U.S. missile defense (MD) system put the issue back in headlines overseas. Skepticism about the plan's feasibility and its effect on arms control--and especially the ABM Treaty--continued to run high in segments of the European/Canadian press, conservative commentators excepted."
  • DOD News Release: DOD Press Release on Rumsfeld Space Initiative May 8, 2001 -- "Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld provided to Congress today his assessment of the report of the Commission to Assess United States National Security Space Management and Organization. The Commission's report, published on Jan. 11, 2001, addressed the importance of outer space and space activities."
  • DOD News Release: DOD Press Release on Rumsfeld Space Initiative May 8, 2001 -- "Special news briefing with Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld on transforming the management and organization of defense and intelligence space programs. Also participating: Senator Robert Smith (R-NH), Representative Mac Thornberry (R-Tx), retired Air Force Gen. Thomas S. Moorman Jr., retired Air Force Gen. Ronald Fogleman, Duane Andrews, Acting Secretary of the Air Force Lawrence Delaney, and Air Force Gen. John W. Handy, vice chief of staff, U.S. Air Force."

    April

    March

    February

  • U.S.-Russia Friction Noted; Moscow As Nexus Of Missile Defense Debate, Office of Research, Foreign Media Reaction, 22 February 2001 -- "Russia was the nexus of foreign press coverage on missile defense this past week, prompted in part by Moscow's presenting its version of an "anti-missile shield" to NATO Secretary General Robertson during his recent visit to Moscow. Viewed as a "counterproposal" to U.S. Missile Defense (MD) plans, the Kremlin scheme was viewed by many--including some Russian papers--as an ill-fated effort to "create a rift" in the Atlantic Alliance by capitalizing on anti-U.S. missile defense sentiment in Europe."
  • New radar opens at Clear Air Force Station AFPN 15 Feb 2002 -- A mechanical radar that had been in place for nearly 40 years here was deactivated Feb. 1, and replaced with a new phased-array radar
  • NMD: Tensions Rise As Diplomatic Gamesmanship Moves Into High Gear, Office of Research, Foreign Media Reaction, 9 February 2001 -- "Defense Secretary Rumsfeld's reaffirmation, at a Munich security conference last weekend, of U.S. plans to proceed with missile defense prompted a fresh round of mostly critical foreign commentary on NMD."
  • NMD Again 'Hogging Headlines' As World 'Faces Up to U.S. Missile Plan'', Office of Research, Foreign Media Reaction, February 2, 2001 -- "President Bush's electoral victory stirred renewed controversy in overseas media over U.S. national missile defense (NMD) plans. Indeed, foreign media seized on the Bush team's advocacy of NMD as the most telling and worrisome example of a trend toward U.S. "unilateralism.""

    January

  • World Press Scrutinizes George W. Bush's Debut, Office of Research, Foreign Media Reaction, January 23, 2001 -- "Many commentators repeated a mantra aired widely over the past month, namely that the "idealism" of the Clinton era would be supplanted by a "cold realism that puts the superpower's own interests above all else." In Europe and Asia, observers most often associated this sentiment with concerns that U.S. NMD plans and a reworking of strategic alliances would top the new administration's foreign policy agenda"
  • Policy and Prospects for the Development of China's Space Technology Mr. Luan Enjie, Administrator of CNSA - 2001 Winter Issue of Aerospace China - The third generation leadership with Jiang Zemin as its core has been actively promoting the development of China's aerospace industry. It has put forward that we should carry forward the spirit displayed in developing China's first "nuclear bombs, missiles and satellites", establish new system of "combining military with civilian production",
  • China's Scientific and Technological Test Satellites By Zhang Yongwei - 2001 Winter Issue of Aerospace China - Since the 1970s, China has developed and launched the SJ-1 and SJ-2, SJ-4 and SJ-5 satellites, which formed the preliminary series of the SJ scientific detection and technological test satellites.
  • Achievements and Prospects of China's Launch Vehicles By Long Luohao 2001 Winter Issue of Aerospace China - Although the LM launch vehicle family has already obtained attracting worldwide attention, it still has the following deficiencies.