"There was no evolution in the U.S. position," said Jean Arets, head of international programs for the 13-member European Space Agency. "It is difficult to know where we go from here."
The original timetable for the manned station, which also involves Japan and Canada, called for all partners to agree by this summer on the role each would play in building and managing the project. But a major stumbling block arose in December when the United States asserted its right to use the station for military research, as well as to cast a decisive vote on the work to be carried out in the various parts of the space station.
The station's cost—itself an increasingly contentious issue—is now an estimated $14 to $16 billion, with the United States putting up three-fourths of the total. The research component of the station is considerable, with experiments planned in such areas as materials ...
