Europe cuts its space station bill to win wider support

Article Abstract:

The Council of the European Space Agency (ESA), bowing to the pressures from its member countries, has reduced its financial contributions by nearly 50%, to ECU1.8 billion, for the commissioning of international space station Alpha. This move is meant to gain support from Europe's Space ministers especially those of France and Germany who have already shown their reservations over the cost of the project. Due to this reduction, role of ESA will be restricted to the Columbus Attached Pressurized Module to be fabricated by Germany and Italy and the Automated Transfer Vehicle to be built by France. The Crew Rescue Vehicle to be built by France lost due to these reductions.

Finance, Astronautical research, Space stations, European Space Agency

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Plant collections endangered in Eastern Europe and Russia

Article Abstract:

Plant gene banks in the former Soviet Union are threatened with financial crisis putting some half-million varieties of 2,500 species at risk. The work begun by Nikolai Vavilov in the 1920s resulted in the Soviets having unmatched collections. Lacking long-term storage facilities at -20 degrees Celsius at the Vavilov Institute in St. Petersburg and 17 experimental stations requires that many specimens be stored dehydrated at room temperature and regrown every five years, a costly labor-intensive method. Some financial help is forthcoming from the US Agriculture Department and other sources.

Forecasts and trends, Russia, Botanical research, Gene banks, Plant breeding

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Europe holds fire on spy satellite plan...

Article Abstract:

The Western European Union (WES) will convert its experimental satellite ground station in Torrejon near Madrid, Spain, into a permanent aeronautics facility. However, it also decided to postpone the development of a proposed European military satellite system pending talks over US cooperation in a satellite-based security system. The US is seeking trans-Atlantic cooperation in its Space-Based Infrared System, which will replace the US missile-detecting satellite system in 2002. Skeptics believe that the US wants to maintain control of satellite images for security reasons.

United States, Planning, Military policy, Military satellites, Western European Union

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