You know suzy, this is almost EXACTLY how I always pictured it. In a way I feel sorry for the state of things there, but I also know they were and are flying more missions than the USA is. WHat they lack in some areas they make up in others.
Whether they are truly ready and willing (and honest) to be going to the moon & mars, that reamains to be seen. It may just be a ploy, heck it could even be some inner deal with the White House to make the run to the moon into a game again, like Apollo, or a global joint venture to Mars. Okay maybe not.
I particularly like this statement though:
"But nobody is training today, and so you stare silently through a glass panel at murky water."
btw, thanks for the post.
Does anyone get the feeling that, but for American optimism, frontiersmanship and a solid dose of PAO, NASA Centers would be the same - struggling with a government and citizenry that doesn't know what it wants from a space program or if it wants one at all?
Thanks for the link, Suzy.
The cosmonaut seated in the CDR’s seat is Sergei Ryzhikov, and in the FE1’s seat there’s a woman, maybe Yelena Serova?
Does anyone get the feeling that, but for American optimism, frontiersmanship and a solid dose of PAO, NASA Centers would be the same - struggling with a government and citizenry that doesn't know what it wants from a space program or if it wants one at all?
The problem with the Russian space program isn't exactly a lack of frontiersmanship or a solid PAO, although optimism might be a bit low. It's money. I think you're forgetting that during the 1990's Russia suffered an economic collapse worse than the Great Depression. It's amazing that the space program survived.
I think some optimism might return to the Russian space program soon enough. Despite the cosmonaut's words in the article, FKA just awarded a tender for a new spaceship, though it was kept very secret until the announcement.
At this point, time will tell.
Does anyone get the feeling that, but for American optimism, frontiersmanship and a solid dose of PAO, NASA Centers would be the same - struggling with a government and citizenry that doesn't know what it wants from a space program or if it wants one at all?
Sounds like aspects of NASA at the moment!
(Also, "frontiersmanship"
isn't unknown in Russia 
)
(Also, "frontiersmanship" 
)