--- title: "Former Astronaut Muzzled by NASA Unloads on Russia Again" description: "After breaking his promise to not trash talk Russia, former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly appears unable to shut up. " date: "2022-04-29" modified: "2022-04-29" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/scott-kelly-russia-redux" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "dmitry rogozin" - "NASA" - "Roscosmos" - "Scott Kelly" - "the digest" - "ukraine" --- # Former Astronaut Muzzled by NASA Unloads on Russia Again ![After breaking his promise to not trash talk Russia, former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly appears unable to shut up. ]() *\Image: Oscar Gonzalez/NurPhoto via Getty Images\* ## Mars Bars After breaking his [promise to not trash talk Russia](), former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly appears unable to shut up. In [an interview with *Newsweek*](), the former International Space Station astronaut said there is a "zero percent chance" that Russia will be able to independently carry on its space endeavors without cooperating with the US and Europe. Amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the European Union has begun dialing back its joint space efforts with the country, including [suspending the much-anticipated ExoMars mission]() that would have [sought life on the red planet](). After news that the [European Space Agency (ESA) was suspending ExoMars](), Roscosmos' brash chief Dmitry Rogozin said that it was no bother because [Russia would just do its own Mars research mission solo](). "I'm pretty sure there's probably a 0 percent chance of this being successful," Kelly told *Newsweek* of Russia's plans to hack it solo in space. "They don't have any money. You know, it's expensive." ## Tell Us How You Really Feel Kelly — who, it must be noted, has spent a lot of time with Russian cosmonauts aboard the ISS — has delved headfirst into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, first by openly condemning the country and then by fundraising for the Ukrainian resistance by [selling his own line of non-fungible tokens](). Most recently, the retired astronaut bemoaned the manner in which [Russia has "brainwashed" its cosmonauts]() into parroting propagandist disinformation such as the [overblown Russian claim that the Ukrainian military is full of Nazis](). "They also are not that sophisticated as a spacefaring nation," the catty astronaut told *Newsweek*. "I mean, they've got one thing that works well that can launch three people into space and bring them home pretty reliably… that's about it. And you need a lot more than that to go to the moon or go to Mars. Particularly, you need the money." "The future of their space program, as a result of Putin's invasion of Ukraine, is pretty bleak," Kelly concluded succinctly. **READ MORE:** [Russia Has 0% Chance of Success in Space: Ex-NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly]() \[*Newsweek*\] **More on Kelly:** [*NASA Astronaut “Enraged” by Russian Threat to Leave Americans Stranded in Space*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()