[FPSPACE] Bush Administration nixed NASA proposed cooperation deal with PRC

[Paolo Ulivi]

and NASA's response

Dec. 23, 2008

Michael Braukus
Headquarters, Washington
202-669-1886
michael.j.braukus at nasa.gov

RELEASE: 08-336

NASA RESPONSE TO AVIATION WEEK AND SPACE TECHNOLOGY ARTICLE

WASHINGTON -- NASA recently submitted the following response to
Aviation Week:

Unfortunately, Aviation Week's recent article of Dec. 21, 2008,
entitled "Bush Administration Nixed NASA's U.S.-China Cooperation
Idea," is inaccurate and misleading.

As an initial matter, NASA has never asked the White House for a
cooperative mission such as the one described in the article. The
fact is that the White House has been very supportive of a deliberate
and careful establishment of relations between NASA and the China
National Space Administration (CNSA) over the past two years. As a
result, NASA commenced working group discussions with CNSA
representatives on Earth and space science earlier this year. The
discussions of potential areas of future cooperation were based on
the principles of mutual benefit, reciprocity, and transparency, with
the understanding that any proposal for specific projects would
undergo careful review within the United States Government. Approval
would, of course, be affected by the overall status of the U.S.-China
government-to-government relationship. The Alpha Magnetic
Spectrometer (AMS), space shuttle flights, and International Space
Station were never intended by either NASA or CNSA to be considered
by the NASA-CNSA working group.

Regarding AMS, it is not an international project managed by NASA;
the
international aspects of AMS are managed by the Department of Energy
(DOE). Currently, NASA is prepared to take necessary steps to fly one
additional space shuttle flight to deliver AMS to the International
Space Station before the scheduled retirement of the shuttle in 2010,
provided that additional funding is provided to the agency for this
additional flight. However, we anticipate this flight will be
reviewed by the new administration.



Peter Pesavento wrote:
>
> From Aviationnow
>
>  
>
> http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=awst&id=news/aw122208p2.xml&headline=Bush%20Administration%20Nixed%20NASA's%20U.S.-China%20Cooperation%20Idea 
> <http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=awst&id=news/aw122208p2.xml&headline=Bush%20Administration%20Nixed%20NASA%27s%20U.S.-China%20Cooperation%20Idea> 
>
>
>  
>
> * Bush Administration Nixed NASA's U.S.-China Cooperation Idea *
>
> *   *
>
> Dec 21, 2008
>
>  
>
> By Craig Covault
>
>  
>
> NASA tried and failed to obtain Bush administration approval of an 
> overture to China for a cooperative U.S.-China space mission, NASA 
> Administrator Michael Griffin tells Aviation Week & Space Technology.
>
> The White House believes that a higher level of cooperation is too 
> great a reward to China for its human rights and arms-trafficking 
> violations of international law.
>
> But the new Obama administration may resurrect the idea. The 
> transition team of President-elect Barack Obama asked the agency for a 
> detailed breakdown of its contacts with China and overall 
> Asia-Pacific-region cooperative concepts in general.
>
> The mission concept suggested by NASA was largely devoted to space 
> science, but also involved flight operations on the space shuttle and 
> International Space Station (ISS). It would not have involved the 
> launch of a Chinese astronaut, however.
>
> The concept included the large Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) that 
> was flown on a shuttle mission 10 years ago as a solo payload and is 
> likely to be launched for installation to the ISS on what could be the 
> space shuttle's final mission in late 2010 or early 2011.
>
> NASA's proposal was to allow the cooperation of Chinese scientists in 
> the mission - since the original AMS carries nearly 1,900 kg. (4,188 
> lb.) of specialized magnets made in China by Chinese aerospace 
> companies. "We ran that up the flagpole to the administration," 
> Griffin says. The modernized version of the AMS for long-term ISS 
> installation may not carry nearly as much Chinese-built hardware as 
> the original design, though.
>
> Sun Laiyan, who heads the China National Space Administration, also 
> confirmed to Aviation Week & Space Technology last spring that some 
> form of cooperation on the AMS had been discussed within Chinese 
> government circles, too, in order to decide what to do if NASA raised 
> it to the Chinese. Sun laughed and said it appeared his government's 
> side had as much problem with the idea as did the U.S. government.
>
> Kennedy Space Center managers are working up preliminary checkout flow 
> documents for preparation of the AMS once it arrives from Europe for 
> integration into the shuttle that will carry it to the ISS.
>
> The AMS will be a powerful scientific tool for the study of mysterious 
> and seemingly invisible cold dark matter that makes up the bulk of 
> mass in the universe.
>
> The U.S.-China cooperation could have been on multilateral, as opposed 
> to bilateral, terms, says Mike O'Brien, who heads NASA's international 
> affairs.
>
> If the Obama administration approves some form of cooperation with 
> China involving the AMS, then the final Kennedy Space Center launch of 
> the shuttle would be a major international event in its own right - 
> involving Chinese guests and possibly Chinese astronauts given access 
> to journalists and other observers during the launch and landing.
>
>  
>
>  
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
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