NASA Chief: Next Frontier Better Relations With Muslim World

[DONT TREAD ON ME]

Maybe its just me but it just keeps getting dumber and dumber and dumber

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.

[silverbear]

Picard face palm picture follows:

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[sjfcontrol]

Excuse me?? When was the last time Al Jazeera put anything into space? (Other than building particles ejected there by high explosives!)

[jester]

Excuse me?? When was the last time Al Jazeera put anything into space?

I don't know if they have any communications satellites of their own, but they're definitely broadcast via satellite.

[solaritx]

Now I get it.......Obama is wise.

First, make it look like we need to make the world, esp the muslim world, believe that we are to believe that the muslim's have all the answers.

Once they feel safe, we offer to make more muslims astronauts. We then watch as more and more muslims apply to go into space.

THEN......when OSAMA applies, we strap his butt into a rocket and send him directly to allah.

JMO

Garry N

[sjfcontrol]

Excuse me?? When was the last time Al Jazeera put anything into space?

I don't know if they have any communications satellites of their own, but they're definitely broadcast via satellite.

Anybody with money (which they have) can broadcast over satellite. Does not indicate any technology of their own.

[cope]

Lord help us.

[Beiruty]

Nothing wrong in amending relations with Muslims worldwide. Muslims are already in the ole US. Sooner or later, Muslims numbers cannot be discounted as minute minority. Also, the more Muslims do understand what us US and what it stands for the lesser of militants and extremists there will be.

[WildBill]

At least the astronaut crews won't need to train for weightlessness in the vomit comet anymore. All they need to do is to listen to one of NASA Administrator Bolden's speeches.

[canvasbck]

Nothing wrong in amending relations with Muslims worldwide. Muslims are already in the ole US. Sooner or later, Muslims numbers cannot be discounted as minute minority. Also, the more Muslims do understand what us US and what it stands for the lesser of militants and extremists there will be.

And what group is better qualified to establish international relations with a worldwide religion than aerospace engineers. Their sociopolitical skills are legendary. (insert facepalm smiley)

Horrible waste of resources.

[DONT TREAD ON ME]

Horrible waste of resources.

Exactly

[jimlongley]

Maybe he's planning on sending them all into space?

[cougartex]

[The Annoyed Man]

(insert facepalm smiley)

[gemini]

Nothing wrong in amending relations with Muslims worldwide. Muslims are already in the ole US. Sooner or later, Muslims numbers cannot be discounted as minute minority. Also, the more Muslims do understand what us US and what it stands for the lesser of militants and extremists there will be.

I can't tell if you're serious or not....... and what of the mission to kill all Infidels? Continuing problems with the
Muslim population in England, France and other European countries. What could possibly make anyone think it will or
would be different in America...... More Muslims = More Problems...... proof? Check out what's happening in Europe.
Our current administration never fails to astound me, daily.