Spacemen

Doesn't really matter. Americans will likely still be the first ones to Mars. They're the only ones running some current programmes to get there, even private enterprises.

@Burning Bush "What an embarrassment for the Americans to have to rely on Russians".

I would say what an embarrassment for the Russians to allow Americans to use Russian rockets and spaceships. Those economical sanctions imposed to Russia last year is a clear sign of rude hostility. While Americans is still trying to ruin Russian economics, Russians give them a hand of friendship in manned space flights.

Why does the American need a lift from the Russians?

Because our Space Shuttle program was retired.

No sanctions on Russia's taxi service?

No. The closest thing to sanctions is that Congress mandated that we stop using Russian-made rocket engines for our heavy-lift launch vehicles.

What an embarrassment for the Americans to have to rely on Russia to send Americans to space.

It's not an embarrassment so much as it's a shame.

Didn't NASA have a succession plan for their space program?

Yes, but Congress chopped the budget for NASA and the manned space program was the most expensive part of NASA's budget. Manned spaceflight was put on a back-burner in order to continue funding the probes that either were already launched, or in the launch queue. Now our main hope is that private businesses will pick up the slack for manned spaceflight. It's silly, because the government is STILL going to have to pay the private businesses in order to get their astronauts up to the ISS.

The Russians kept their program running despite the fact that their country collapsed and their economy was in total ruin for a decade.

Well, I'd take issue with "kept their program running". That makes it sound better than it really was:

Throughout the period following the collapse of the USSR, crews on Mir experienced occasional reminders of the economic chaos occurring in Russia. The initial cancellation of Spektr and Priroda was the first such sign, closely followed by the reduction in communications as a result of the fleet of tracking ships being withdrawn from service by Ukraine. The new Ukrainian government also vastly raised the price of the Kurs docking systems, manufactured in Kiev – the Russians' attempts to reduce their dependence on Kurs would later lead to accidents during TORU tests in 1997. Various Progress spacecraft had parts of their cargoes missing, either because the consumable in question had been unavailable, or because the ground crews at Baikonur had, in desperation, looted them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mir#Post-Soviet_period

Bush, there's no embarrassment. The Americans are paying handsomely for the privilege of riding on Russian rockets. Also, it is a well known fact that so far, the Russians have the most reliable space transportation. Must be because they're not putting trillions of USD in various wars across the world...

diuneahma

Why does the American need a lift from the Russians?

Been under a rock for the last four years?

Diuenahma.

The NASA no longer has the Shuttle and the new system is still under construction.

Why does the American need a lift from the Russians?

Yes the dream of peace and goodwill to all.

I don't know, maybe the UN should be moved to the International Space Station because when countries who have longstanding feuds send their spacemen to the Station, they all seem to work together in harmony and respect one another.

Maybe it's the air in the Station, clears the mind, but I'd love to hear more stories about the people who live up there.

This picture gives hope that if we could all just learn to stop fighting and killing each other, all that money could go to feeding everyone and exploring ways to make life on earth and beyond better for all on earth. Yeah, I am currently wearing those rose coloured sunglasses as I make my way to work. ;)