Russia is thinking big when it comes to remaining a leader in space exploration. According to news reports, Russia is studying developing a force field-type system to protect spacecraft and lunar bases from strikes by space junk or micrometeoroids. It is also looking at a proposed $2 billion ship that would sweep low Earth orbit clean of debris and deposit the stuff in the ocean.
Looking farther out, Russian is considering building nuclear-powered manned spaceships, to be ready to fly, perhaps, by 2020. They argue, probably correctly, that deep space exploration will require nuclear power to propel ships and power bases.
Whether Russia can deliver on such projects is another matter. The Russian economy is fairly small, especially for such a huge, resource-rich nation, and its industrial base is smaller yet. Still, Russia has an amazing space heritage. Betting against it being able to pull off at least one big project at a time probably wouldn't be wise.
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