It's amazing how the Russian manned space program has evolved in the 80s and 90s, especially if we compare with NASA.

From Zimmerman's "Leaving Earth":

In those two decades, the Russians have become progressively freer, their space program moving from government funding to private commercial free enterprise.
At the same time, both Russia and its space program had become increasingly efficient and profitable, able to produce new technologies that could be built cheaply and used quickly.
The American space program meanwhile, had degenerated, depending increasingly on government directives and less on private initiative.

The soviet union was once called the "evil empire". The same people were in the space program during the 80s and 90s.

The problem with the shuttle was its enormous complexity and this must have been quite discouraging to anybody willing to privatize it.

Mission Delta is to be launched on monday, with the Flying Dutchman Andre Kuipers.

Veel geluk, Andre!

Raoul