CBC TV Sunday Report (10:00 PM ET) December 23, 2001
Changes at the International Space Station upsets Canadians
JENNIFER GATES: Canada and the United States are in the midst of a controversy tonight stemming from an US plan to scale back its involvement in the International Space Station. As Raj Ahluwalia reports, the proposal could severely limit Canada's ability to conduct research in orbit.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN (1): The crew requests permission to come aboard. RAJ AHLUWALIA (Reporter): Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau climbs aboard the International Space Station.
MARC GARNEAU (Canadian Astronaut): No big surprises, just very nice and it looks like a home.
AHLUWALIA: A home that in the future may have far fewer visitors. Here's why. The Space Station is massively overbudget, close to five billion dollars. The US wants to save money, so President George W. Bush plans to cut its commitment to the Space Station. The result, fewer flights and fewer astronauts. Not just for Americans, but for all the fifteen countries in the partnership for the Space Station.
SAVI SACHDEV (Director, General Space Systems Canadian Space Agency): The way the partnership is carved up, each partner has a certain percentage allocation of resources on the station which is in proportion to how much they have contributed to build the station.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN (2): The first robotic handoff in orbit is complete.
AHLUWALIA: For Canada, its share for the station's $1.4 billion dollar robotic arm would translate to about thirty minutes a week for scientific experiments, a tenth of what it wants. Scientists say many experiments will simply be shelved.
DR. DOUG WATT (Director, Aerospace Research Unit, McGill University): If I were to propose an experiment today that required eight subjects, it probably wouldn't fly for another six to eight years and would take probably close to two years to actually carry out. What that means is it's not worth doing.
AHLUWALIA: Analysts say more than just science will be hurt. They say there may be political implications for Bush's unilateral decision.
JOHN PIKE (Space Policy Analyst, globalsecurity.org): The International Space Station, for the last fifteen years, has been one of the leading symbols of international cooperation and a faith and commitment to working together to make the world a better place in the future.
AHLUWALIA: Ottawa has filed a formal complaint with the US. Japan and some European countries are expected to follow. But it will likely be a symbolic protest. Analysts don't expect Bush to change his plans. Raj Ahluwalia, CBC News, Toronto.
GATES: And that's our program. Thanks so much for being with us tonight. Tomorrow, Helen Mann will be here. I'm Jennifer Gates. Take care and have a good night.
Copyright 2001 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
