VZCZCXRO3065
RR RUEHAST RUEHDH RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHSL RUEHTM
RUEHTRO
DE RUEHMO #2603/01 2920407
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 190407Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5120
INFO RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHTA/AMEMBASSY ASTANA 0325
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 4297
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 0572
RUEHYG/AMCONSUL YEKATERINBURG 3731
RUEHVK/AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK 3377
RUEHLN/AMCONSUL ST PETERSBURG 5503
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUCPDC/NOAA WASHDC
RHFJBRQ/NSF POLAR WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MOSCOW 002603 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TSPA KNNP ENGR TSPL SENV PREL KZ RS
SUBJECT: Ambassador and NASA Administrator Attend Launch and Docking 
for Soyuz 20S Flight; First Meeting of U.S.-Russia Space Cooperation 
Working Group 
 
MOSCOW 00002603  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
Sensitive but Unclassified.  Not for Internet distribution.  Please 
handle accordingly. 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:   From September 28 through October 3, NASA 
Administrator Charles Bolden traveled to Russia and Kazakhstan for 
the first time as the NASA Administrator to participate in the 
launch and docking activities for the Soyuz 20S (TMA-16) flight to 
the International Space Station (ISS). Ambassador Beyrle and 
Administrator Bolden held their introductory meeting at U.S. Embassy 
Moscow before the NASA and U.S. Embassy Moscow delegation traveled 
to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to view the launch and to 
meet with the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) Head Anatoly 
Perminov and other Russian space officials.  The first meeting 
between NASA Administrator Bolden and Roscosmos Head Perminov also 
served as the inaugural session of the Space Cooperation Working 
Group (SCWG) under the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission 
(BPC) announced by Presidents Obama and Medvedev in July 2009. The 
overall visit and SCWG meeting successfully set the stage for 
enhanced civil space cooperation between Russia and the United 
States. End Summary. 
 
Soyuz Launch: The Mission 
------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Ambassador Beyrle 
participated in the launch and docking activities for the Soyuz 20S 
(TMA-16) flight to the International Space Station (ISS).  Members 
of the ISS Expedition 21 crew aboard the Soyuz are Roscosmos Soyuz 
Commander Maxim Suraev and NASA Flight Engineer Jeffrey N. Williams, 
joined by Roscosmos Space Flight Participant (SFP) Guy Laliberte, 
the Canadian founder of Cirque du Soleil. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The Soyuz 20S crew joined the ISS Expedition 20 crew 
already on orbit.  The ISS Expedition 20 crew consists of Roscosmos 
ISS Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Roman Romanenko, 
NASA Flight Engineers Michael Barratt and Nicole P. Stott, Canadian 
Space Agency Flight Engineer Robert Thirsk and European Space Agency 
Flight Engineer Frank De Winne.  These nine spacefarers will spend 
10 days together before the Soyuz 18S returns to Earth with Soyuz 
Commander Gennady Padalka, Flight Engineer Michael Barratt and 
Roscosmos SFP Guy Laliberte.  With the October 11 departure of the 
Soyuz 18S, the on-orbit crew becomes Expedition 21, commanded by ESA 
astronaut Frank De Winne. 
 
NASA Administrator Bolden Meets Ambassador Beyrle 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) On September 28, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden met 
with the U.S. Ambassador to Russia, John R. Beyrle, at the NASA 
Moscow Liaison Office (NMLO) at U.S. Embassy Moscow for an 
introductory meeting.  Ambassador Beyrle was accompanied by 
Environment, Science and Technology (EST) Counselor Deborah Klepp. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Administrator Bolden shared some of his experiences and 
impressions as a NASA Astronaut and from his first meeting with the 
Russians, including his training and his shuttle flight that was the 
first shuttle mission within the framework of the Shuttle-MIR 
program.  Ambassador Beyrle shared his impressions and experiences 
with NASA and the Russian government from his current and previous 
positions at U.S. Embassy Moscow.   The Ambassador described the 
NASA/Roscosmos relationship and the International Space Station 
(ISS) Program as one of the best examples of U.S.-Russia 
cooperation.  The NASA HQ and Embassy delegations then joined the 
U.S. Embassy Moscow Marine Security Guard (MSG) Detachment for an 
informal dinner, which was hosted at the Marine House. 
Administrator Bolden met with the Marines and related his 
experiences as a career Marine and as a NASA astronaut. 
 
NASA and U.S. Embassy Moscow Delegation Attend Baikonur Launch 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶6. (SBU) From September 29-30, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden led 
a delegation to Baikonur, Kazakhstan to participate in the events 
related to the launch of Soyuz TMA-16.  On September 30, at 13:14 
Kazakh time, a Soyuz-FG rocket successfully launched Soyuz TMA-16 to 
the International Space Station (ISS). 
 
¶7. (SBU) While in Baikonur, Administrator Bolden met with his 
 
MOSCOW 00002603  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
Russian counterpart Anatoly Perminov, Head of Federal Space Agency 
(Roscosmos); his former crewmate and Russian cosmonaut from the 
STS-60 space shuttle mission, Sergey Krikalev, who now heads the 
Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center; as well as a number of key 
Russian space officials.  The two heads of agencies visited the crew 
quarters and the cosmonauts' alley at Baikonur on launch day, and 
they participated in the crew suit-up ceremony, which dates back to 
the first flight of Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.  Mr. Bolden also visited 
the launch pad to view the Soyuz vehicle prior to flight, as well as 
the Soyuz and Progress spacecraft processing facility, the Baikonur 
Space History Museum, and the historic cottages once used by Yuri 
Gagarin and Sergey Korolev.  The Ambassador accompanied the 
Administrator for all these activities. 
 
NASA and U.S. Embassy Moscow Delegation Attend TsUP Docking 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶8. (SBU) The NASA delegation and Ambassador Beyrle traveled to the 
Mission Control Center - Moscow (MCC-M, also known by its Russian 
acronym TsUP, pronounced "soup") to participate in the Soyuz docking 
to the ISS.  On October 2 at 12:37 Moscow time the Soyuz TMA-16 
successfully docked with the ISS.  After the docking, the Russian 
and U.S. officials participated in a joint press conference.  After 
the hatch opening, the officials jointly took part in a live ground 
to space telecon and congratulated the crew aboard the ISS. 
 
 
NASA Administrator Inaugurates Space Cooperation Working Group 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶9. (SBU) Between the Soyuz docking to the ISS and hatch opening, 
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and the Head of Roscosmos Anatoly 
Perminov successfully conducted their first official meeting at the 
Mission Control Center, Moscow.  The gathering also represented the 
first meeting of the Space Cooperation Working Group within the 
framework of the Bilateral Presidential Commission established by 
Presidents Obama and Medvedev after the July 2009 summit in Moscow. 
According to the decision of the two presidents, the respective 
heads of agencies were designated to co-chair the joint working 
group on space cooperation. 
 
¶10. (SBU) At the meeting, the two sides discussed the status of the 
space programs of both countries and emphasized the successful 
implementation of the Soyuz launch and docking to the International 
Space Station.  Both sides recognized the successful cooperation in 
space over the past several decades, from the Apollo-Soyuz Test 
Project to the International Space Station (ISS) Program, and looked 
forward to expanding their cooperation in space exploration.  Mr. 
Bolden and Mr. Perminov recognized the nine years of continuous 
human presence on-board the ISS and discussed their mutual desire to 
expand cooperation in a number of different areas.  The heads also 
noted their mutual interest in encouraging students in the fields of 
science, technology, engineering and mathematics.  The two sides 
also agreed to an agenda of future work activities for further 
discussion. 
 
¶11. (SBU) The Russian government had previously passed a one-pager 
to the U.S. government on September 29.  While the Russian one-pager 
proposed the addition of several topics -- including satellite 
navigation, earth monitoring, space debris, and the legal basis for 
cooperation -- the delegations agreed at the meeting that these 
issues did not belong to the SCWG.  NASA and Roscosmos subsequently 
agreed to specific areas for more detailed discussions, including 
International Space Station utilization and lifetime extension, 
biomedicine research, and research and technology development for 
space exploration. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶12.  (SBU) NASA Administrator Bolden and Ambassador Beyrle both felt 
that the visit, meetings and discussions were highly successful and 
productive, as they highlighted over 40 years of U.S.-Russia 
cooperation in space, as well as over ten years of highly integrated 
international cooperation and assembly of the ISS.  More 
importantly, it appears that the new relationship established 
between the NASA Administrator and the Head of the Russian Federal 
Space Agency (Roscosmos) will strengthen the foundation for 
 
MOSCOW 00002603  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
continued U.S.-Russia cooperation and enhance the opportunity for 
even broader cooperation in the future. End Comment. 
 
BEYRLE