I will eat my hat if this ever comes to fruition.

In spite of the enormous challenges a country whose public funds are in as parlous state as Russias are, I doubt the US will be especially amenable to Russia putting a nuclear device into orbit.

To be honest after our shuttle retires, who is to stop them? Granted I have some SERIOUS worries about their ability to safely put a reactor into orbit. However I can't fault the Russians for thier lack of vision. We have been working together for years on our space programs why not start with bigger and bolder steps. Space is dangerous but not as dangerous as a lack of will to travel there.