NASA and the Russian space agency will jointly build a space station that will attack the moon as a jumper to Mars

NASA and the Russian space agency Roscosmos announced a new partnership for manned exploration of the moon and deep space. The agencies signed a joint statement on the collaboration Wednesday at the 68th International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide, Australia.

NASA and the Russian space agency Roscosmos announced a new partnership for manned exploration of the moon and deep space. The agencies signed a joint statement on the collaboration Wednesday at the 68th International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide, Australia, the same event that also produced Elon Musk's announcement. About new details in the SPACEX Mars project

The move to partner with Russia in building a space station that would attack the moon and be a springboard to Mars came as NASA continues to announce plans for Mars while helping with the acceleration that will come from orbiting the moon. A manned mission to the moon and eventually to deep space is expected to be based on the Orion system, along with a mini-space station. "This program will challenge our current capabilities in the field of manned space and will benefit from the involvement of several countries as well as the American industry," NASA officials said in a statement published following the signing.

The two superpowers are returning to the moon when, in the first step, they will jointly establish a laboratory in orbit around the moon that will act as a remote outpost and will be a platform for future landings on the lunar surface and possibly also a jumper to Mars. This project is expected to involve additional partners, including China, which is currently excluded from the International Space Station, as well as contributions from the private sector.

This message has several amazing meanings. First the space race started with a competition between the USA and the Soviet Union for almost everything - including who would launch the first rocket and humans into orbit without the rockets falling. In addition to the more distant historical connotations, it should be noted that relations between the US and Russia have been extremely tense in recent years. In a burst of frugality after decommissioning the space shuttles, the Obama administration chose to begin paying the Russians to allow American astronauts to hitchhike with the Russian cosmonauts to the International Space Station.

Everything went well as long as everyone got along, and difficulties began to arise when Russia and the US clashed over worldly issues, and had to compromise only because it was the only way to get to the space station. Space should be a place without borders. Viewed from above from a vantage point in high orbit, or from the surface of the Moon, Earth is one blue planet with no visible boundaries. Space is also a harsh environment, where everyone depends on everyone else for survival. There is no room for arguments or political rivalries. This is the only way we can afford the cost of deep space exploration. It is a pity that the spirit of cooperation cannot be brought to the ground.