22 Mar 2014

Can astronauts survive in space with diplomatic tensions between US and RUSSIA?



While the United States and Russia traded sanctions this week ( 22 March 2014) in a burgeoning crisis over Crimea, astronauts from both nations rose above the discord in their sanctuary hundreds of miles from Earth.
Experts say mounting political and economic tensions between the old Cold War foes are unlikely to upset cooperation in space at the moment.  But  is something which   would be damaging to both sides.
Not that talking politics is taboo aboard the International  Space Station (ISS), where Americans and Russians share close quarters, orbiting at an altitude of 248 miles (400 kilometers) over the Earth.
"We could talk about anything. We'd talk about politics," said retired US astronaut Leroy  Chiao, who commanded the ISS for six months in 2004 and 2005.
"With something like this going on, I am sure the crew is talking about it, you know, in a friendly way."
American astronaut Mike Hopkins, upon returning from the ISS earlier this month after a half-year stay, said he considered his Russian counterparts "close friends" and described cooperation as "very strong."  But the real conditions  to live up there is not easy.
"It is like a divorced couple trying to live in the same house," he said. They both own the house. They both operate the house." ( AFP 22 Mar 2012)