NASA Uneasy Over Russian Space Troubles

Two consecutive chaotic and dangerous landings by Soyuz space capsules, including one with an American astronaut aboard, have NASA and space experts concerned about the spacecraft's reliability in ferrying astronauts to and from the international space station. The worries are compounded by the fact that starting in 2010, when the space shuttle fleet will be retired, America will be entirely dependent on Russia's Soyuz capsules for transporting all astronauts to the station. The Soyuz has been a remarkably safe and reliable spacecraft for four decades, and the recent failures do not appear to have anything to do with new technology or new procedures.