The recent broad political rapprochement between the United States and the nations of the Former Soviet Union (FSU) has transformed the environment for cooperation on space projects, and led to cooperative programs in space with Russia and other FSU states that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. Chief among these are the high-profile human spaceflight cooperative activities involving the Space Shuttle-Space Station Mir dockings and the International Space Station. This report surveys the potential benefits and drawbacks of expanded cooperation with Russia and other nations of the FSU in space activities, and examines the impacts of closer cooperation on U.S. industry and U.S. national security concerns. Such cooperation has begun to yield scientific, technological, political, and economic benefits to the United States. However, the political and economic risks of cooperating with the Russians are higher than with the United States' traditional partners in space. Cooperation in robotic space science and earth remote sensing is proceeding well, within the stringent limits of current Russian (and U.S.) space budgets. Including Russia in the International Space Station program provides technical and political benefits to the space station partners, but placing the Russian contribution in the critical path to completion also poses programmatic and political risks.

The recent broad political rapprochement between the United States and the nations of the Former Soviet Union (FSU) has transformed the environment for cooperation on space projects, and led to cooperative programs in space with Russia and other FSU states that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. Chief among these are the high-profile human spaceflight cooperative activities involving the Space Shuttle-Space Station Mir dockings and the International Space Station. This report surveys the potential benefits and drawbacks of expanded cooperation with Russia and other nations of the FSU in space activities, and examines the impacts of closer cooperation on U.S. industry and U.S. national security concerns. Such cooperation has begun to yield scientific, technological, political, and economic benefits to the United States. However, the political and economic risks of cooperating with the Russians are higher than with the United States' traditional partners in space. Cooperation in robotic space science and earth remote sensing is proceeding well, within the stringent limits of current Russian (and U.S.) space budgets. Including Russia in the International Space Station program provides technical and political benefits to the space station partners, but placing the Russian contribution in the critical path to completion also poses programmatic and political risks.