Dmitry Rogozin, the Russian deputy prime minister, told the United States they could "jump on a trampoline" to get to space.
Since the end of the Space Shuttle program in 2011, the United States has lacked any domestic means of sending humans to orbit. NASA has sent astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Russian spacecraft since that time.
After the invasion of Crimea by Russia, Washington and Moscow have engaged in a war of sanctions. Until recently, each side had refrained from actions that would affect operations aboard the space station. That has now changed, greatly impeding the ability of NASA to send astronauts to orbit.
"After analyzing the sanctions against our space industry, I suggest to the USA to bring their astronauts to the International Space Station using a trampoline," Rogozin tweeted.
The founder of private orbital transport company SpaceX was quick to respond to the suggestion.
"Sounds like this might be a good time to unveil the new Dragon Mk 2 spaceship that @SpaceX has been working on w @NASA. No trampoline needed," Elon Musk tweeted.
Rogozin continued his comments about American sanctions on his Twitter account. The Deputy Prime Minister said his country tried to continue working with the United States on a number of occasions and was rebuked.
Assets owned by the Deputy Prime Minister may be affected by American sanctions. He claimed Washington was trying to clear Russia out of competition to launch satellites, including a number from Europe. The United States recently imposed restrictions on export of high-tech items to Russia over the dispute. Five commercial satellites due to launch aboard Russian rockets, will be affected by this latest sanction.
NASA officials are saying they do not expect Moscow to cut off launch services for America, since Washington pays Moscow $60 million per astronaut send to the ISS.
The American space agency is also forbidden from contacting the Russian government. Because the ISS is operated by nations, space station operations are exempt from the prohibition. Russia will be affected more than the United States by the embargo in technology transfers, American officials told the press.
For decades, the United States was engaged in a space race with Russia, which largely ended when Neil Armstrong set foot on the surface of the moon in 1969. Plans for Space Station Freedom, an American outpost in space first announced in the 1980s, became the International Space Station.
