UPI reported Monday that any new space initative the administration will pursue will include international cooperation. There’s just one problem: as of last Friday none of the major existing partners on the International Space Station had been contacted about this new plan, according to UPI. The report also notes that Russia’s role in any new plan would likely come under strong Congressional scrutiny, given what happened with the ISS after Russia joined. (Of course, without Russia the ISS would likely have been abandoned after the Columbia accident.)
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), chair of the space subcommittee of the House Science Committee, tells Aerospace Daily that he has no problem including Russia in the new plan. However, he is opposed to any Chinese participation in such a program (which should be no surprise to anyone who has followed Rohrabacher and heard his frequent criticism of China.)
What? Nobody asked these other countries if they wanted to participate in The Plan? Well, at least they can still opt out… unlike the American taxpayer who was likewise not consulted.