DATE=4/6/2000
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
TITLE=RUSSIA/MIR
NUMBER=5-46088
BYLINE=EVE CONANT
DATELINE=MISSION CONTROL, OUTSIDE MOSCOW
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Two cosmonauts have successfully docked their
spacecraft and entered Russia's space station MIR --
beginning the first privately funded space mission.
Russian space officials had been preparing to abandon
MIR, but foreign investment has given the 14-year old
station another chance. V-O-A Moscow Correspondent
Eve Conant explains how a combination of Russian
technology and international funding could create the
world's -- or the universe's -- first tourist
attraction in space.
TEXT: Russian space experts and MIR's new investors
looked on with excitement as they gathered in the
crowded hall of Mission Control to watch television
pictures of two Russian cosmonauts opening the hatches
of MIR and beginning the first privately funded space
mission.
/// SOUNDS OF MISSION CONTROL AND DOCKING ///
Their job is to bring the MIR back to life. The aging
spacecraft had been orbiting unmanned since August and
was destined to suffer a dramatic end. Within a few
months time, the plan was to de-orbit MIR and let it
burn up in earth's atmosphere. Any leftover parts
that survived the blaze would fall and disappear into
remote ocean waters. But even as the spacecraft was
slowly descending, Russian space officials hunted for
cash to keep their pride and joy up and running.
The cash did come -- in the form of an investment of
tens of millions of dollars from the Amsterdam-based
MIRCorp.
Though based in Amsterdam, MIRCorp is a combination of
Russia's Energia firm, which handles the MIR, and
private investment from abroad -- mostly from the
United States. The Russian government retains
ownership of MIR and Russian cosmonauts will carry out
scientific experiments on the station.
But the foreign investors have other plans for MIR,
including creating the first space Internet portal and
tourist attraction. Their Internet website describes
MIR as a potential "vacation spot of a lifetime" with
"unmatched views of the Earth and the heavens." Each
page of their website begins with inspirational
phrases such as the proverb "a journey of a thousand
miles begins with a single step."
One of MIRCorps two top investors -- Internet
entrepreneur Chirinjeev Kathuria (A-chur-IN-jeev Ka-
TUR-iaya) -- spoke with V-O-A the night before the
docking. He says investors, including himself, were
skeptical about the plan at first, but quickly
realized MIR could be a money-maker.
/// KATHURIA ACT ///
We will eventually be marketing MIR as a
consumer product. We will be sending up what we
call citizen explorers or space tourists up to
space starting as early as September. We will
probably also be having a game show. It will
something like, maybe "Who Wants to Be a
Millionaire?" -- you know -- "Who Wants to go to
Outer Space" or something more tasteful. We'll
do this for educational purposes. And maybe the
winner would get to go to space. We're talking
to all the three major (U-S television)
networks.
/// END ACT ///
/// OPT /// Aside from tourism, the investors have
ecology in mind as well. One of the scientific
experiments scheduled for this trip is to study an
organism that can eat oil in the event of a major oil
spill. Most important, say the investors, no military
research will be allowed aboard the MIR -- which in
Russian means "peace."
/// OPT /// MIRCorp's President, American Jeffrey
Manber, was at Mission Control to watch the live
docking.
/// OPT // MANBER ACT ///
I'm feeling ecstatic. I'm feeling this is the
start of a new era in space commercialization.
I feel that our colleagues in Moscow have shown
what they can do technically. They can operate
the world's only space station -- there's no
doubt about it. And with us providing some cash
flow, getting some money to the MIR, we believe
that when they open the hatch today it's the
start of a new era. With the MIR, with the
adequate funds, will be the world's greatest
space station, our only home in space, and we're
delighted to play a role in that.
/// END ACT // END OPT ///
The head of International Space Programs for Russia's
Energia company, Alexander Derechin, says of course
there was disappointment that Russia could not
independently afford MIR, but he welcomed the foreign
investment.
/// DERECHIN ACT ///
MIR station is real international station. It's
not only Russian pride, it's real Russian pride
but not only, this pride for mankind. If
investors can invest money in MIR station this
is good not only for us, I believe its good for
everybody.
/// END ACT ///
/// OPT /// A Canadian who serves as senior vice
president of the MIRCorp, Andrew Eddy, watched the
screen at Mission Control as the two cosmonauts docked
their Soyuz shuttle with MIR.
/// OPT // EDDY ACT ///
This is the first time that a commercial company
has sponsored a manned space mission. Up until
now the area of manned flight has been reserved
to governments. Today, the world of commercial
space is changing. That's exciting. When they
open that door, those cosmonauts are going in as
representatives of MIRCorp, representatives of
the commercial space world.
/// END ACT // END OPT ///
A representative of the U-S space agency, NASA,
Michael Baker, says the U-S investors might be happy,
but the U-S space agency has other concerns.
/// BAKER ACT ///
NASA realizes that this is a sovereign country
with a sovereign space program. We have no
problems with that whatsoever. The only thing
we are concerned about is that our Russian
partners meet their commitments to the
International Space Station.
/// END ACT ///
Russia is already behind in supplying parts to the
international space station and has blamed
insufficient funding for the delay.
But MIRCorp is not paying attention to the naysayers.
After the successful docking, the company announced it
was preparing to raise hundreds of millions of dollars
for further space missions and that additional funds
were already coming in.
But there are differing opinions on just how long MIR
can survive. Some space experts estimate MIR can last
only another two or three years. But others say that
with the proper renovations, and with the proper
amount of cash, MIR -- as research center, Internet
portal, and tourist attraction -- can stay in orbit
indefinitely. (Signed)
NEB/EC/JWH/KL
06-Apr-2000 11:13 AM EDT (06-Apr-2000 1513 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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