In Brief

Russia's Deputy Prime Minister on Twitter: US Can Use Trampolines to Reach Space

Expedition 39 Soyuz Capsule Approaches International Space Station
Astronaut Koichi Wakata tweeted this photo of the Soyuz crew capsule bearing three Expedition 39 crew members approaching the International Space Station on March 27, 2014. (Image credit: Koichi Wakata ‏(via Twitter as ‏@Astro_Wakata))

A member of the Russian government suggested Tuesday (April 29) that the United States use trampolines to get to the International Space Station instead of the Russian rockets they currently rely on, according to press reports.

"After reviewing the sanctions against our [Russian space industry], [I] suggest [that the] United States deliver their astronauts to the ISS [International Space Station] using a trampoline," Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin posted from his Russian-language Twitter account.

The United States has been introducing a number of sanctions against Russia related to the country's annexation of the Ukrainian region of Crimea earlier this year. While Rogozin's words are harsh, they also might not lead to action, according to Reuters. According to analysts cited by the news agency, Russia is unlikely to kick NASA astronauts off Russian-made Soyuz rockets and Soyuz spacecraft — the only vehicles that currently fly NASA astronauts to the space station.

For his part, NASA chief Charles Bolden has maintained that the relationship between Roscosmos and the U.S. space agency is still amicable, despite heightened tensions between the two governments.

Elon Musk, the founder of the private spaceflight company SpaceX — which is currently developing technology that could ferry astronauts to and from the space station from the United States — also added his voice to the fray on Twitter. "Sounds like this might be a good time to unveil the new Dragon Mk 2 spaceship that @SpaceX has been working on w @NASA," Musk wrote of the company's manned Dragon capsule currently in development. "No trampoline needed."

Musk plans to unveil the new Dragon design on May 29.

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Miriam Kramer
Staff Writer

Miriam Kramer joined Space.com as a Staff Writer in December 2012. Since then, she has floated in weightlessness on a zero-gravity flight, felt the pull of 4-Gs in a trainer aircraft and watched rockets soar into space from Florida and Virginia. She also served as Space.com's lead space entertainment reporter, and enjoys all aspects of space news, astronomy and commercial spaceflight.  Miriam has also presented space stories during live interviews with Fox News and other TV and radio outlets. She originally hails from Knoxville, Tennessee where she and her family would take trips to dark spots on the outskirts of town to watch meteor showers every year. She loves to travel and one day hopes to see the northern lights in person. Miriam is currently a space reporter with Axios, writing the Axios Space newsletter. You can follow Miriam on Twitter.