WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik – 03rd June, 2021) NASA Administrator Bill Nelson urged Russia on Wednesday to think “long and hard” before severing space cooperation with the United States that dates back to the mid-1970s.
Nelson decried what he called were concerning statements from the Russiangovernment and some in the Russian space program about pulling out of the International Space Station or teaming up with China for a Moon mission.
“What I hope is that they are going to think long and hard before they would pull out of the cooperation that they have had with us,” Nelson said during a press conference.
NASA chief said that he will be speaking on Friday with head of Russian space agency Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin and pins hopes on the US-Russian scheduled for June 16.
“Let’s see how the summit goes between the two Presidents,” Nelson said.
“My experience in government is that you have the politics that kind of gets in the way. But people on the line that are doing the work they have a different thought. And suspect that most of the people in the Russian space program really enjoy working with the Americans,” he said.
The United States wants to continue this cooperation dating back to the Soyuz-Apollo mission of 1975, Nelson added.
