BAIKONUR COSMODROME, Kazakhstan (Reuters) -- Russia will be able to play a fuller role in the International Space Station (ISS) if it sticks to plans to ditch its Mir orbiter next year, a senior U.S. space official said Monday.
Michael Foale, a veteran astronaut who spent time on Mir in 1997 and is now deputy head of Houston's Johnson Space Center, said he too would be saddened by the aging station's demise, but added that it was necessary.
"It is just like when you have an attachment to an old car but find it is just too expensive to keep on putting in new pieces," he told Reuters on the eve of the launch of the U.S.-Russia crew, who will be the first people to live on the ISS.
"I will be very sad. I always think lovingly of the moments I had with my crews on board Mir," he said.
"But (Russian Space Agency Head Yuri) Koptev said Russia has never managed to maintain a launch rate of Soyuz rockets… at a high enough rate
to supply two space stations and he does not expect them to manage that now," Foale said.
"So there will have to be a transition to ISS and Mir will have to come down."
Russian officials said earlier this month they favored sinking Mir in the Pacific Ocean next year as the 14-year-old craft has outlived its planned shelf life, but its final fate has still not been decided.
The ISS is seen as an updated Mir with international participation, bringing 17 countries together for the project.
ISS seen as new era in space exploration
Foale said the $60-billion ISS would be the start of another era in space exploration, paving the way for new achievements.
"This flight is the keystone to all future explorations from this planet -- to the Moon, to Mars and asteroids," he said.
Foale said preparing for the ISS had allowed both sides to share their knowledge with each other.
Russia's experience in long-term space missions has been invaluable in building parts of the station and training crews, while U.S. cash and design expertise were used to improve the Soviet-built modules.
"I don't believe human exploration of space will continue in a national vein…
The model for space exploration will be international cooperation," Foale said.
He said he expected the ISS to last a long time with pieces being taken off and added as the station developed, increasing the cost of a project initially budgeted at $17 billion.
Foale said soaring costs meant Western partners' criticism of Russia was unfair, referring to past complaints by U.S. officials that the country's financial woes had delayed the ISS.
Now those problems have generally been solved, he said.
"What we see today is the international community working together. It gives us hope for solving our problems on earth in the future by solving problems beyond the earth's atmosphere."
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