Experts: Without Russia, the U.S. Has ** Manned Spaceflight Options
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Right **w, some 250 miles above Earth, a six-member crew is aboard the International Space Station: two Americans, one Japanese astronaut and three Russian cosmonauts. Back here on ground, though, the countries haven't been playing quite as nicely. As a result of Russia's recent actions in the Ukraine, the U.S. will suspend some space-related contact with Russia (but **t on the ISS).
For NASA employees, astronauts and space watchers, the tenuous relationship is potentially problematic. Russia is **w the only option for American astronauts to travel to the ISS. Period