Amidst the tension between Ukraine and Russia, many experts believe that the war's international issues are escalating more quickly than ever.
Russian President Vladimir Putin seemingly escalates the problems as recent reports said that he claimed a confirmation of collaboration between the US government and the Nazi group to brew plans in Ukraine. US president Joe Biden answers the allegations, calling Putin a 'war criminal.'
ISS and Russia's War in Ukraine
In space, the International Space Station (ISS) is somehow unaffected by the quarrels on the ground. American experts still live and work peacefully alongside Russian cosmonauts. The connection between the space lab and each participating nation is unbothered, with supplies and spacecraft from respective countries still progressing.
In a Senate hearing last month, NASA administrator Bill Nelson explained that their works up above will continue and that there has been no interruption regarding the professional relationship between the astronauts aboard the ISS. Nelson added that the works on the station would proceed even if the disastrous war in Ukraine led by Putin persists.
Aside from the war, other problems concern experts regarding the relationship between international countries engaged with the ISS, such as the space station's future. It was recently reported that the orbital laboratory would reach its physical lifespan very soon. NASA and participating countries plan to burn the vessel through the atmosphere and crash it down the Pacific Ocean.
The ISS has been up and running in the planet's orbit for over 20 years. Alongside the scientific opportunities it offered, the laboratory served as an unofficial symbol of international peace for many citizens worldwide.
The initial launch of the ISS was made possible through a great effort of both the US and Russia. The event also helped the two superpowers to leave the past and start a new relationship for the future. The systems and projects related to the ISS were designed to rely on both the participation of the US and Russia.
Future of Space Relations Between US and Russia
Georgia Institute of Technology's Sam Nunn School of International Affairs specialist Mariel Borowitz explained in an NPR report that the joint program helped a lot of Russian experts, keeping them employed with ISS-related projects when Russia experienced an economic downfall in the past.
Years after ISS launched, the international bond on the program grew stronger. The relations were untarnished regardless of the anomalies on the ground, such as assassination attempts, wars, and even political misunderstandings.
In 2020, a massive shift began when NASA collaborated with Elon Musk's SpaceX to transport people into space. The agency relied more on the private firm for the following months than Russia's usual rocket services.
Putin's war on Ukraine severed not just the decade-long peace with the US but also with other projects led by separate groups such as the European Space Agency (ESA). Earlier this month, the space agency dropped its connections with the aggressor and announced that their long-anticipated mission to Mars would be delayed due to plans where the 2022 launch would be aboard a Russian rocket.
Russian space agency Roscosmos retaliated against the series of sanctions on space-related matters, with chief Dmitry Rogozin announcing that every launch with their Soyuz vessel in ESA would be halted.
What's next is for us to see. NASA astronaut Scott Kelly says that the US should be planning its steps without the presence of Russian support. Kelly added that it might be hard for NASA, but the space agency is good at doing hard things.
Meanwhile, pieces of remembrance from the Soviet era had been recently seen on the part of the ISS, which the Russian government manages. Last April, a couple of cosmonauts engaged in a spacewalk waved a banner during Russia's Victory Day.
The sign symbolizes their success over the power of Nazi Germany back in 1945 and is also being displayed today by Russian forces as they march throughout the country of Ukraine.
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