Sergei Korsakov, a Russian cosmonaut and a designated Hero of Russia, talked up the joys of space exploration to an audience of young people and a few adults at a science festival in La Paz, Bolivia. He talked about his 195 days on the International Space Station and about how life is different in space than on Earth. The science festival was organized by the Energy of the Future autonomous NGO and supported by the University of San Andres, the Bolivian Nuclear Physics Club, and Rosatom.

Korsakov also discussed the use of nuclear technology in space and the development of electric rocket-propulsion systems powered by a reactor-based power unit. “When we talk about the future of space,” he told his young audience, “it’s easy to imagine rockets, stations, reactors, and new planets. But all of this is created by people—not just astronauts, but also engineers, scientists, doctors, programmers, and specialists from many other fields. Humanity’s next step into space will certainly not be accomplished by a single person, profession, or country. It will require knowledge, curiosity, discipline, courage, and the ability to collaborate.”