Posted: Sun, Mar 16, 2003, 1:51 PM ET (1851 GMT)
Differences in opinion between the US and Russia regarding Iraq could have a negative impact on space cooperation between the two nations, including the International Space Station. SPACE.com reported late Friday that Alexander Vershbow, the US ambassador to Russia, told a Russian newspaper earlier in the week that if Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution authorizing military action against Iraq it could affect cooperation between the two nations in space. "It would be a pity if progress in these spheres [space] will be delayed or reversed altogether because of serious differences over Iraq," Izvestia quoted Vershbow as saying. Russia has been lobbying the US and other international partners for up to $100 million in aid to build and launch additional Progress spacecraft to supply the ISS while the shuttle is grounded. The US cannot directly fund those missions because of the Iran Nonproliferation Act, and NASA and Bush Administration officials said there were no plans to obtain a waiver to allow such funding. Russian officials say they need the US and other nations to find the funding by the end of March to allow the spacecraft to be built on schedule.

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•  SPACE.com article