The New York Times | Two Back on Earth After Six Months on Space Station

"Two astronauts who spent half a year aboard the International Space Station returned safely on Saturday to the steppes of Kazakhstan in the pre-dawn darkness.

An American astronaut, Lt. Col. E. Michael Fincke, of the Air Force, and Col. Gennady I. Padalka, of the Russian Air Force landed aboard their Soyuz capsule at 6:36 a.m., three hours after separating from the orbital complex."

The NY Times fumbles. These are not two "astronauts" but one "astronaut" and one "cosmonaut".

But the article goes on to point out something that has been kept very quiet in the Western press:

Until the NASA ships return to service next May, or possibly later, the Soyuz craft will remain the only way for astronauts to get to and from the space station.

What we can say in this point in time is: the Russians are winning the space race! The Bubbas in Houston and Florida, with all the money that is thrown their way, cannot produce a reliable delivery vehicle for human space flight. And, personally, I don't see that private space concerns will do any better.

With the Chinese getting into the space race, along with the European ventures, we're going to see an end in the US space hegemony. Furthermore, what the world is asking now is: why were the Americans ever ahead? What happened to that undaunted American spirit of adventure?