MEDIA ARTICLE SPECULATES ON WHY BRAZIL COULD NOT LIVE UP

UNCLAS BRASILIA 000961

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR OES/SAT RFORD
STATE FOR WHA/BPOPP
STATE FOR OES/STC LBLANCAS
STATE PLEASE PASS TO NASA FOR MMOORE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TSPA SENV TBIO KSCA OSCI BR
SUBJECT: MEDIA ARTICLE SPECULATES ON WHY BRAZIL COULD NOT LIVE UP
TO SPACE STATION OBLIGATIONS


1. (U) SUMMARY: Brazilian newspaper quotes George Washington
University director, John Logsdon as saying because of delays and
its inability to meet its obligations for the International Space
Station (ISS),Brazil has lost its chance to be a space station
partner. The article quotes the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB) as
saying that it is working with its foreign ministry to negotiate a
broader partnership agreement in space with the United States. END
SUMMARY


2. In a May 29, 2007, article in the newspaper Estado do Sao Paulo
headlined "Brazil Is Out of the International Space Station
Project", John Logsdon, Director of the Institute for Space Policy
at George Washington University, discusses the reasons why Brazil
has lost its chance to be an ISS partner.


3. The article notes that after almost 10 years of participation,
Brazil has not "contributed even a single bolt to the project" and
according to the article, Logsdon says that " it is too late for
Brazil to do anything other than become a user of the station."


4. Logsdon is quoted as saying that it is not likely NASA will take
any formal action to cancel the contract with the Brazilian Space
Agency.


5. The article said that Brazil entered the project in October
1997, responsible for the production of six parts, worth
approximately US$120 million, an amount much higher than the AEB
could have handled. In exchange for the production of the parts, the
article continued, Brazil would have had the rights to use the
station for scientific experiments and participation of its
astronaut, but nothing was ever built by Brazil.


6. When asked by the Estado of Sao Paulo reporter, the AEB press
office did not deny Logsdon's statements, but instead, announced
plans for an even broader partnership with NASA. "The Brazilian
Space Agency and the Brazil Foreign Ministry are beginning
negotiations with NASA and the Department of State for a new stage
of cooperation between Brazil and the United States, which was, at
times, a bit shaky due to the problem of American participation in
Alcantara." (The article says in parenthesis that the Brazilian
National Congress vetoed a possible agreement for American use of
the base). "The interest of AEB is not just participation in ISS,
but a much broader cooperation."


7. The article goes on to say that in Logsdon's opinion, the
inability of Brazil to keep its promises about the space station
left a "bad taste" in NASA's mouth, which could make future
partnerships more difficult. The decision to send the Brazilian
astronaut, Marcos Pontes, to Russia, instead of the United States,
also contributed to the bad impression.

SOBEL