http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200704/s1894967.htm

Hmmm... I thought we "won" the "Cold War" -- right?

What has the cold war got to do with Bill Gates? We moved from rockets sending people to space to use reusable craft which increases payload and decreases cost per flight. Currently the shuttles are having problems and so if he wants to take a trip, he is going to have to go with a rocket or take a chance on the shuttle (if they will let him). We don't have rockets of that nature anymore do we? So, he has to go to Russia. We switched to shuttle based flights. Russia is using older technology. Since we phased it out, either we can build more rockets again or he has to go to Russia. We are not going to invest in rockets because we are trying to fix the shuttles.

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They are broke, its a good way for the space program to raise a little money.

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No, not at the moment NASA does not have a rocket that is comparable to the Russian hardware. But, NASA is currently developing a CLV & CEV that look a lot like the the old SaturnV and capsule system used in the Apollo missions. Well, at least the capsule does (the CEV) the CLV will utilize the same tank and solid booster design as used currently on the shuttle.
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=18754
And it a little generous calling the space shuttle new technology. Basically the shuttle design has been around for thirty five years, not exactly new technology. It is kind of interesting to see how the design of the CEV has evolved. I get to "see" all the different takes on its design as they run the different shapes through the numeric wind tunnel at work. Every now and then they print out a view of the shapes their testing. And the current printouts I've seen look a lot like the Apollo capsule. As a side note the Russian technology is hardly "old". I forget where I saw it but during the 1990's when we began sharing a lot of data with the Russians it became apparent to NASA engineers that the Russians, through their advances in metallurgy were able to achieve combustion chamber pressures that we were never able to duplicate. So, while those slender little rockets may look old you gotta have some respect for what the Russians have been able to achieve.

For a look at how NASA is spending some of your tax dollars go
here http://www.nas.nasa.gov/

For some info on the inside happenings at NASA go
here http://www.nasawatch.com/

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Developing but not there yet. Till then, Bill Gates will have to go with Russia if he wants to go to space.

When I mentioned new technology, I meant that it is a newer concept than the old rockets that dispose a stage at a time and is reusable. Yes, it is over 30 yrs old but still newer than the old Saturn V. The shuttle was developed because it was supposed to make it cheaper than dropping parts all over the globe as each stage disengaged. Booster rockets are salvaged and the craft is reusable. Only the tank goes to waste. I don't think that the Soyuz has as many reusable parts as the shuttle. However, until they fix the shuttle or get their new developments off the drawing board and actually going into space successfully, I guess they are going to have to use the Soyuz to get things going.

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
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04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow