The former NASA Administrator Charles Bolden (2009-2017) under the Obama administration has expressed some very important views on the future of U.S. space exploration in collaboration with Russia and China. In an interview with Russian news agency TASS published Sept. 7, Bolden emphasized that Russian-American collaboration in space has played a vital role over the years in proving that there is indeed a basis for good relations between the two countries.
“Space is this incredible environment that allows people to come together for a common purpose,” Bolden told TASS. “The reason, I think that Roscosmos and NASA get along so well is that we have common goals and ambitions. We understand what teamwork means and what gaining trust in each other means, something that our governments don’t exactly seem to get just yet, but I think we’re working toward getting there,” he said. When asked about the future of integrated crew programs, Bolden said, “My hope is that we’ll continue … to exchange crews and have cosmonauts fly with us on American vehicles, and we’ll continue to fly on Soyuz getting to whatever platforms we happen to be going to. I think that’s essential.”
Bolden firmly defended international collaboration in space, saying, “we’ve got to be able to come together and sit at the table and talk to each other the way that we finally did with the Soviets and the Russians, getting to where we are today.” Bolden, a Marine Corps Major General, had himself flown on the U.S.-Russian joint mission of STS-60 in 1994, which was the first of the Shuttle-Mir Program.
