VZCZCXRO9171
OO RUEHRG
DE RUEHBR #0961 1491915
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 291915Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9054
INFO RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 4473
RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 9970
RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 6714
RUEANAT/NASA HQ WASHDC

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