<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><BR><DIV><DIV>On Aug 11, 2005, at 2:51 PM, Neil H. wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Instead, the news reports say that Russia's Federal Space Agency and</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Energia, the prime contractor for much of the country's space</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">hardware, are working on the project. Channel 1 says proceeds from the</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">two-week, $100 million tour package would go toward building Russia's</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">next-generation spaceship, the Kliper.</FONT></P> </BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Which would be awesome, since Kliper-1's airframe is already finished and just needs some cash.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Kliper full scale mock-up</DIV><DIV><A href="http://cph.ing.dk/tema/iss/nyhed/04nyt/pic/klipper-iss-400.JPG">http://cph.ing.dk/tema/iss/nyhed/04nyt/pic/klipper-iss-400.JPG</A></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Kliper cross-section - note the Soyuz service module in the rear.</DIV><DIV><A href="http://www.astronautix.com/graphics/k/kliperc4.jpg">http://www.astronautix.com/graphics/k/kliperc4.jpg</A></DIV></BODY></HTML>