Looks like that might happen. Only ‘temporarily,’ of course.
Astronauts may need to temporarily withdraw from the International Space Station before the end of this year if Russia is unable to resume manned flights of its Soyuz rocket after a failed cargo launch last week, according to the NASA official in charge of the outpost.
Mind you, ‘temporarily’ in bureaucrat-speak means ‘a unit of time ranging from the sound of the beep [beep!] to five minutes before the end of time…’
Via Glenn Reynolds.
Moe Lane (crosspost)
PS: Hey, do you know what 787 billion dollars could have bought us in 2009? A functional manned space program! Then we and the ISS wouldn’t be dependent on the Russians’ ability to launch rockets that don’t blow up! No, wait, forgot: Texas, Alabama, and Florida won’t be voting Democratic in the next Presidential election. Never mind…