I don't know much about Charles Bolden, Obama's new pick for NASA, so I won't make any comment about the merits (or otherwise) of this choice, except to say that I like the fact that he was a marine. I did find the following interesting, which I learned from a USC US-China Institute mailout (Bolden is a USC alum):
He’s been a supporter of the US-China Institute since its inception and for several years he’s worked with his counterparts in China on a wide variety of topics, including space medicine. Three years ago, Gen. Bolden told a Senate subcommittee that he thought “international engagement and cooperation in a common goal of furthering our understanding of this universe” was “one of the greatest benefits of human space exploration.” He argued that cooperation with Russia had yielded major benefits and that “[w]e have an opportunity to forge the same kind of alliance with the people of China…. As is a common practice in our military, peaceful engagement with potential adversaries frequently makes them long-term partners in pursuit of the common goal of international peace and stability.”Is this a good idea? I don't know, but if it can further the quest for the human race to get into space (as opposed to our current "just visiting" status) then I'm all for it. Despite what I said in an earlier post, I'm more interested in seeing the human race conquer this final frontier than I am in seeing any one particular power or culture make the leap.
