I've caught a cold, maybe one of those change of the seasons things that sometimes catches me and lays me up for a few days. I was so congested earlier in the week that due to the pressure in my head even reading was difficult for more than half an hour at a time. Anyhow, I'm on the mend but still feeling very fuzzy round the edges.I did find a little time to look up... the history of human endeavour in space.

What caught my eye was a repercussion from the Russia / Georgia conflagration. Apparently with the shuttle no longer flying from 2010 the Russian Soyuz will be the only way of reaching the International Space Station. This means that for US astronauts to reach orbit they'll need to buy a ticket from the Russians which is politically sensitive given the US's disapproval of Russian behaviour towards Georgia.

I'm amazed by this. Space programmes have always been the utimate in terms of big league national pride, if you care about that sort of thing, and the Americans generally do so to be left in this situation is a bit of an oversight. What's also amazing is that, although I guess it's been upgraded substantially since it first flew in 1966, the Soyuz is still going strong as a reliable launcher / spacecraft. The Russian space programme, with the first satellite, animal and human into orbit, was clearly built to last.