OREANDA-NEWS. November 21, 2008. Only a human can do the job, which is done by our cosmonauts in space. A computer is not able to do it. This is the opinion of Anatoly Perminov, Roscosmos Head.

Questioned by Vesti, Anatoly Perminov stated: "We have signed all the contract papers that cover our cooperation with NASA until 2011. Now we are in process coordinating the documents for the next period. US Congress approved this effort. There are some minor issues to be resolved, but these issues are very serious. They are related to the technical capabilites of our agencies and industrial companies to meet the requirements".

"Our own vehicle will be available in 2018. This is defined by the Russian Federal Space Program", Mr. Perminov answered the question about new Russian vehicle.

"There have been different opinions in space exploration all along. Some support only human space exploration, some vote for automatic systems. I believe, both branches must be developed. But a computer is not able to replace a cosmonaut. If the environment makes human`s work unfeaseable, automatic systems shall be used. But in the human-friendly environment, the job shall be done by the cosmonauts", concluded Mr. Perminov.