WikiLeaks - US and Russia were exploring the possibility of a joined manned mission to Mars, a manned base on the Moon and dealing with a space-threat

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A cable from June 5, 2008, reveals an initiative by some US and Russian officials to co-operate in three ambitious space projects. The possibility of a joined manned mission to Mars, the possibility of a manned base on the Moon, and, the detection and tracking "Near-Earth Objects" (e.g., asteroids, meteorites and comets), to establish means for preventing collisions with the Earth.

 

The invitation to the Russians for a joint base on the Moon came from the US Congressman Dana Rohrabacher. It seems that the Russians responded warmly, as Sergey Shishkarev, (Chairman of the Duma Transport Committee and head of the Parliamentary Working Group on Aviation and Space at the time) agreed that the United States and Russia should join forces for a Moon base, given the complexities of such an endeavor and the synergies that could be achieved by a meaningful partnership. 

Vitaliy Lopota (President of the Energiya Space Corporation at the time) went further, suggesting that the United States and Russia could more effectively work together on a joint manned mission to Mars.

Finally, Rohrabacher proposed establishing an international partnership, led by the United States, Russia and possibly the EU, to detect and track "Near-Earth Objects" (e.g., asteroids, meteorites and comets), and to establish means for preventing collisions with the Earth. Both Lopota and Shishkarev welcomed such a partnership.

It would be worth to note that Rohrabacher was negative on the prospect of a Chinese involvement in those projects. Showing that the Americans were keen to leave the Chinese out of these potential co-operations. According to the cable, "Rohrabacher warned that China had its own Moon ambitions that were not necessarily in either Russia's or the United States' interests."

Yet, it seems that the liberal establishment was not seeing a co-operation neither with the Russians positively, as the front-line of the liberal establishment press was focusing on the fact that "Rohrabacher has expressed strong pro-Russia and pro-Putin opinions, which have raised questions about his relationship with Vladimir Putin and the Russian government."

 

Key parts:

 

Congressman Rohrabacher discussed U.S. plans to establish a manned base on the Moon in separate meetings with Energiya Space Corporation President Vitaliy Lopota and Sergey Shishkarev, Chairman of the Duma Transport Committee and head of the Parliamentary Working Group on Aviation and Space. Noting that Russia had been a reliable and trustworthy lead partner on the International Space Station (ISS), Rohrabacher invited Russia to join the United States in establishing a joint base on the Moon. While the United States and Russia should play the lead role, other governments, such as the EU, could also participate in such an endeavor. Rohrabacher warned that China had its own Moon ambitions that were not necessarily in either Russia's or the United States' interests.  

Shishkarev agreed the United States and Russia should join forces for a Moon base, given the complexities of such an endeavor and the synergies that could be achieved by a meaningful partnership. Shishkarev noted that the partnership would need high-level political support on both sides to be successful. 

Rather than a moon mission, Energiya President Lopota felt that the United States and Russia could more effectively work together on a joint manned mission to Mars. Lopota proposed establishing within the next 15 years a manned orbiting presence around the Red Planet and robotic exploration of the surface. In Lopota's view, a Mars mission would be a more significant step forward in space science and exploration than establishing a manned Moon presence. After a manned Mars orbiting presence was established, Lopota suggested that the United States and Russia could plan a mission to the Moon from Mars. 

 

Rohrabacher stated that he would discuss a potential U.S.-Russian Moon partnership further with NASA Administrator Michael Griffin. He also said he would ask NASA to prepare a cost and risk assessment of a joint Mars mission and see how that cost-benefit analysis compared with a Moon mission. 

 

Rohrabacher proposed establishing an international partnership, led by the United States, Russia and possibly the EU, to detect and track "Near-Earth Objects" (e.g., asteroids, meteorites and comets), and to establish means for preventing collisions with the Earth. Both Lopota and Shishkarev welcomed such a partnership. Lopota shared the Congressman's concerns about the potentially devastating damage that such objects could inflict, noting the 1908 Tunguska comet impact in Siberia and the large asteroid that recently passed undetected between the Earth and Moon. The Russians also welcomed Rohrabacher's suggestions to work toward an international agreement on this subject and to hold an international conference in California, possibly on the margins of an already planned conference on space navigation at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena December 8-14, 2008. 

 

Full cable:

https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/08MOSCOW1604_a.html

 

According to another cable (June 16, 2008), Rohrabacher and Anatoliy Perminov (Roscosmos Director), discussed the possibility of a U.S./Russian cooperation instituting a joint database cataloging NEO (Near-Earth Objects) and their projected trajectories to assess the threat of earth impact. 

 

Rohrabacher conveyed to Perminov a strong personal policy interest in accurately tracking NEO as well as exploration of possible means to mitigate a potential collision and cited a 10% probability every hundred years of a major earth collision. Adding perspective, Rohrabacher referenced the upcoming 100 year anniversary of the Tunguska event in Russia, June 30 1908, as the last major NEO to enter the Earth's atmosphere. Perminov suggested the utility of instituting an internationally administered joint NEO database to best analyze the NEO threat and emphasized this would be a very "realistic project" and "you will find Russian support in this endeavor."