Mika McKinnon of io9 asks,

Ever since the shuttle program ended, NASA has been paying Russia to ferry U.S. astronauts to the International Space Station. But the price-per-seat aboard Russia’s spacecraft has gotten ridiculous. The solution is clear and cost-effective: The US needs its own space taxis. So why won’t Congress pay for it?

Every year, NASA’s budget for Commercial Crew is less than requested. This means more flights using the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. And that takes more money away from Commercial Crew. It’s a classic case of “penny wise, pound foolish.”

Read the entire article here.