by the way (Score 1)

i noticed several caustic remarks that we (Russia i mean coz i'm russian) use Baikonur for our launches. Yeah, we sometimes use it, but we pay $115billions for using it and we rented it up to 2050 by the way (http://www.interfax.ru/r/B/politics/23.html?id_is sue=11652093/). And the second, more important. 80% of our commercial launches we execute from our own Plesetzk space centre. Though it's more difficult/expensive and less profitable. And as to our research programs: two days ago we started experiment to prepare for Mars expeditions. 5 volunteers will spend 500days in special isolated module fulfilling functional duties of participants in the Marsian expedition. (http://www.interfax.ru/r/B/politics/2.html?id_iss ue=11656172/)