But Logsdon and other experts point out that the use of Energiya would require yet another redesign of the already revamped Freedom and likely would require a commitment of funds in 1992 for launches not planned until late this decade. A recent report by a White House panel of experts that examined the technology requirements for future moon and Mars missions considered use of the Energiya but recommended instead a new U.S. rocket that borrowed its propulsion system from Apollo and the space shuttle. If formal trade agreements can be reached that resolve issues of technology transfer, competitive pricing and operational standards, the Soviets will likely find it possible to compete with American rocket companies. Among other possibilities are satellite parts such as guidance sensors and radio transmitters and possibly even rocket engines if not assembled rockets, Dula said. Some of those more modest efforts have proven fertile.
Similar agreements are in the offing for Austrian, German and French passengers.
And the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty agreement reached by President Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev before last month's failed coup included provisions for NASA astronauts to fly aboard the Soviet Mir. In exchange, a Soviet cosmonaut would join a NASA crew for a medical research mission on the U.S. shuttle.