One might wonder why US astronauts were aboard Mir, a predecessor to the International Space Station (ISS) in orbit from 1986 to 2001. The joint mission was part of the Shuttle-Mir program agreed to in 1993 between U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Jr. and Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin.
We have a fair number of joint missions with the Russians, including the ISS, that has stretched our science and our dollars. This makes sense regardless of the stress back home assuming each country is collaborating rather than co-dependent. For example, the US should have its own means to get astronauts to the ISS.
Now that China is looking skyward we should consider joint missions with them as well. We do not lose if we communicate and collaborate. It is a dirty word in Washington, DC, but the way of science.
Update: Of course, even the ISS has issues, including loss of power as ABC News just reported:
NASA said Monday the six astronauts were left with one less power channel Friday. A short circuit in equipment on the station's framework is to blame. The short apparently tripped a current-switching device, resulting in the loss of one of eight channels used to power the orbiting lab. The affected systems were switched to alternate lines.
