Saturday October 11, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- In the wake of the global economic turmoil, NASA has gotten something to worry about for the international space program -- The U.S. will probably have no means of transportation between the earth and the international space station after 2010.

Russia's Soyuz rockets will be the only vehicle for astronauts and cosmonauts to get to the space station after the U.S. space shuttle fleet is retired in 2010.

Roscosmos director Anatoly Perminov promised cooperation between the US and Russia when he spoke on the eve of the launch of the crew aboard a Russia's Soyuz rocket to the international space station.

U.S. Congress has already agreed early this year to allow NASA to book seats on the Soyuz after 2010.   But the U.S. worried that solely relying on the Russia's spaceship could give the country too much political leverage in its foreign policies.

NASA had a plan to make a new spacecraft to replace the space shuttles, which are fairly risky although they can be repeatedly used.  

Two years ago the space agency awarded Lockheed Martin a contract to build the so called Orion spacecraft for future missions, but the economic crisis could ruin the original plan for 2014 maiden flight.