Brian Thorn wrote:
arging and still save NASA a boat load of money over using Shuttle?

Depends on what they've been charging, which seems to be something of
a mystery. But the answer is probably 'no'. It takes three Soyuz to
duplicate one Shuttle, and that's just for the crew. Add the 20,000

As usual some fancy and realy practical numbers. Do you suggest sending the
"captain" and "pilot" down after a few days?

lbs of cargo a Shuttle offers, and Soyuz/Progress lose some of their
luster. It's still certainly cheaper, but not 1/10th the Shuttle's

Proton can not repace the shuttle cargo, and it has not been suggested. IMHO
heavy lifting (if found necessary) will go to American contractors.

costs to achieve the same results.

So basicly you want to keep the shuttles because you cant trust a
predetermined sum in a contract?

Brian