The ISS has its origins and roots in the American-Russian understanding on space. On the American side, Reagan had funded the Freedom space station in the 1980s, but little concrete progress had been made. On the Russian side, MIR was nearing completion and there was a rush to launch the next space station, as had always been the case. MIR2 was Valentin Glushko’s latest project. Due to funding cuts, it was nicknamed “MIR1.5.” It attracted the attention of the Europeans, who, however, were outpaced by the Americans. On September 5, 1993, Vice President Al Gore and Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chermomyrdin signed an agreement: the US would pay $400 million for operations and access to MIR until 1997, after which Russia and the US would collaborate on the ISS, to be assembled using Space Shuttles and Protons. The period of joint management of MIR is important for: building technical compatibility between the two systems, providing the Americans with the first long-duration flights, and obtaining the funding necessary to keep MIR afloat.
