NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a recent interview that his "foremost" mission as the head of America's space exploration
agency is to improve relations with the Muslim world.

Though international diplomacy would seem well outside NASA's orbit, Bolden said in an interview with Al Jazeera that strengthening those ties was among the top tasks President Obama assigned him. He said better interaction with the Muslim world would ultimately advance space travel.

"When I became the NASA administrator -- or before I became the NASA administrator -- he charged me with three things. One was he wanted me to help re-inspire children to want to get into science and math, he wanted me to expand our international relationships, and third, and perhaps foremost, he wanted me to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science ... and math and engineering," Bolden said in the interview.

The NASA administrator was in the Middle East last month marking the one-year anniversary since Obama delivered an address to Muslim nations in Cairo. Bolden spoke in June at the American University in Cairo -- in his interview with Al Jazeera, he described space travel as an international collaboration of which Muslim nations must be a part.

"It is a matter of trying to reach out and get the best of all worlds, if you will, and there is much to be gained by drawing in the contributions that are possible from the Muslim (nations)," he said. He held up the International Space Station as a model, praising the contributions there from the Russians and the Chinese.

However, Bolden denied the suggestion that he was on a diplomatic mission -- in a distinctly non-diplomatic role.

"Not at all. It's not a diplomatic anything," he said.

He said the United States is not going to travel beyond low-Earth orbit on its own and that no country is going to make it to Mars without international help.

Bolden has faced criticism this year for overseeing the cancellation of the agency's Constellation program, which was building new rockets and spaceships capable of returning astronauts to the moon. Stressing the importance of international cooperation in future missions, Bolden told Al Jazeera that the moon, Mars and asteroids are still planned destinations for NASA.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/07/05/nasa-chief-frontier-better-relations-muslims/

Lack of experience once again. He cancels our space program so they can bow to and focus on the Muslims.

Why SURE 'The UN' understands the role of NASA ... it's to do NOTHING except what he TELLS it to do ... why else would he give 'em enough money to REBUILD the launch pads for the SHUTTLE when he's DISCONTINUING the shuttle program and planning to beg the Russians, Japanese, and the FRENCH for rides into space? It's one more way to bring the premier space program in the world to its knees - right along with the rest of his planned destruction of our way of life.

It's really sad. We are number one in the Space Race and could have accomplished a great number of things, the rate he has us going there will be nothing left. For the past 8 years we had non stop flights and were on track to be on the moon again by 2015.

at least this is one post i can agree with yall on... to me, that is his biggest mistake. anything we can do to promote space travel and exploration, especially keeping NASA the best in the world, is a way to promote jobs, build the economy, and keep america proud as we once were.

to be fair, that was bush's doing in retiring the shuttles, but he a new system in place and obama shot it down...

i say BS on that part... we made it the moon -BY OURSELVES- in a time where computers were all but nothing.. in the times and technology we have today, we could easily go to mars and or any other planet we chose, without ANY help from anyone...

your right, it's the muslim butt-kissing that gets in the way, way to much.

Yea let's help the Muslim nations get into space that way they can attack us from up there too.

they (muslims)are still hundreds of years behind the modern times now, why would they even consider this? talking about our government

Because Obama hates our country.

they are scared, like little girls... the muslims must think we are the weakest nation on earth.

Well when Obama geos to the Middle East and starts bowing to them(literally), it makes them think that.

it's easier to kiss-butt when you bow...

Or .... ....

NASA is the ONLY government agency that actually CREATES jobs - Obama can't have that 'cuz it interferes with his agenda to make us the modern-day equivalent of Zimbabwe / Rwanda / Uganda / Ethiopia / Somalia or Zaire ... he won't be happy until we're all going outside in the snow to crap into slit trenches while we use the three colors of corncobs (brown, yellow, and white) to wipe with ... NASA was FAR too successful an enterprise to be allowed to continue unchecked. Once he disperses its engineering team to the wind and destroys the institutional memory of the organization, Russia, China, India, Japan, and FRANCE will all be able to surpass us in space exploration. 'Hope' ... 'Change' ... assshats.

Hell, Haiti will pass us.

japan pretty much already has...

let me sum this up: Hussein the Obamanable = LOSER! This sucks more than a hoover, I hate this jack wad and cannot wait until he gets his happy ignorant arrogant a$$ fired.

And people say Bush was an idiot, Ha look no further than this waste of sperm sullying America's good name. What a joke.

Though international diplomacy would seem well outside NASA's orbit, Bolden said in an interview with Al Jazeera that strengthening those ties was among the top tasks President Obama assigned him



from the NASA sight

NASA does a lot of different things. NASA makes satellites. The satellites help scientists learn more about Earth. NASA sends probes out into space. NASA scientists study things in the solar system, and even farther away. A new program will send humans to the moon, Mars and beyond. People at NASA work on ways to make air travel better for everyone on Earth, too. People at NASA also share the things they learn with others. This can help make life on Earth better.


wow, references to EVERYONE on earth, and sending HUMANS to the moon, no mention of just 'Americans'


but I know, one more area we might have to SHARE credit with others in,,,,frightening,,,,

Nonsense. NASA destroys capital and creates waste. See "NASA: Exemplary of Government Waste" by Alexander Villacampa-http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig7/villacampa2.html.