Following the two accidents in 1997, astronaut Jerry Linenger felt that the Russian authorities attempted a cover-up to downplay the significance of the incidents, fearing that the Americans would back out of the partnership.
I tillæg til dette følte astronaut Jerry Linenger at de russiske myndigheder efter de to ulykker i 1997 forsøgte at skjule ulykkerne, for at nedtone deres betydning af frygt for at amerikanerne ville bakke ud af samarbejdet.