For many wage earners, the cost of maintaining their mini-imperial courts can put a severe strain on family finances.

CNN: LITTLE EMPERORS

Following the retirement of the American space shuttle in July, the Soyuz rocket is the only means of getting astronauts and cosmonauts to the ISS. August's failure saw manned flights stand down even longer than the six weeks for unmanned Soyuz rockets, and the hiatus put a severe strain on the operation of the space station.

BBC: Another Soyuz rocket launch fails