I imagine they do that embarrassing routine so that American TV channels would report on their achievements.
If they stick to science, Fox News won't mention it. And if Fox News never mentions NASA, then people get upset about spending their tax dollars on an organization that seemingly does nothing...
In Russia, you have to remember to thank Putin. In USA, you have to remember to wave the flag with sufficient enthusiasm. It's the same thing -- Russians just prefer personified nationalism while Americans rally around abstracted symbols (flag, original text of the Constitution, etc.)
I remember reading that this spacecraft would not have been launched without a Russian rocket engine, and that the plutonium fuel also came from that country.
"Owing" something is not always about money. "The West" owes a large part of its wealth to Africa and Asia. It's a team effort, not just a business transaction.
True, but I meant a particular subset of "owing" in which you consider which parties are directly responsible for some event. Paid out vendors are usually not considered the primary parties.
If they stick to science, Fox News won't mention it. And if Fox News never mentions NASA, then people get upset about spending their tax dollars on an organization that seemingly does nothing...
In Russia, you have to remember to thank Putin. In USA, you have to remember to wave the flag with sufficient enthusiasm. It's the same thing -- Russians just prefer personified nationalism while Americans rally around abstracted symbols (flag, original text of the Constitution, etc.)