Thus the Financial Times today. “Moscow retaliates over Ukraine crisis sanctions,” elaborates the newspaper. In particular, the International Space Station access will be denied beyond 2020. The retirement of the space shuttle fleet by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 2011 means that America is no longer capable of sending astronauts to space on its own. In addition, Russia will bar export of critical rocket engines to the States. The move highlights American dependence on Russian space technology. As the newspaper points out, the Russian sanctions will only strengthen China, which aims to have its own space station by 2020. By the way, China is currently banned from the International Space Station chiefly because of opposition from America. All in all, a lovely conundrum for Barack Obama and his cabinet. And a timely reminder that the world has moved on in the last few decades. Nowadays, sanctions and bans can boomerang in unpredictable ways.