NASA signed a cooperation contract with Russia on the ISS station

US Space Agency (NASA) on April 6 said the agency signed a contract with the Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos) about bringing US astronauts to the International Space Station. (ISS) and return to Earth.

American astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson was taken to ISS by the "Union ТМА-18" spacecraft on April 2.(Source: Reuters)

This $ 335 million contract includes a Russian clause that will help transport, rescue and provide services related to bringing US crew to the ISS in 2013.

Accordingly, the Russian side will provide integrated services, including all necessary activities such as training and preparation of the Russian launch ship (Soyuz); Rescue the crew and take six American astronauts to ISS and return to Earth.

It is expected that the US crew will be taken to ISS on four combined vessel flights in 2013 and return to Earth on four flights of this spacecraft in 2013 and 2014.

The United States is expected to stop using its aging shuttles this year, so bringing people to the ISS will be entirely done by the Russian Combined Ship until Ares 1 boosters and Orion spacecraft. US is put into use in 2015.

On April 5, the US space shuttle Discovery was launched on the ISS station on the fourth flight, which was the last flight before being shut down at the end of 2010, ending the 30-year history of serving the industry. American aerospace. /.