Nations Should Drop 'Go it Alone' Approach to Succeed on Moon, Mars - Space Foundation

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Bold missions to the moon and Mars will require concerted global efforts, and no nation can achieve success there single-handedly, Space Foundation CEO Tom Zelibor told Sputnik.

The head of the American nonprofit stressed that examples of the International Space Station operations over the past two decades demonstrate how crews of many countries become one team, living, working, learning and exploring together.

"That’s a foundation to build upon because the boldest of future missions - the return to the moon and expeditions to Mars and beyond - will require different countries, organizations and people to work together to make those missions happen," Zelibor said. "No one country, organization or people can afford a 'go it alone' approach. It will require a global team of talent to achieve mission success - a success which everyone can share."

There is an incredible foundation of cooperation between Russia and the United States, he added, starting with the Apollo-Soyuz Program in the early 1970s, until today.

"One of the greatest dividends of that time is the deep friendship between Alexei Leonov and Tom Stafford," he added. "Both were warriors for their respective countries and beliefs but found they had more in common, which they built upon. Their friendship and cooperative relationship is one of many that have grown over the past 50 years."

While there are issues that divide the countries on earth, Zelibor said, there is and always will be "a shared human spirit for exploration that cannot be denied."

"It’s what gives us all hope for the future," Zelibor concluded.

Cancel Russia Campaign

Many organizations in Europe are canceling all projects with Russia and renaming everything with the word "Russian." When asked about Space Foundation’s plans, Zelibor stressed, "At Space Foundation, we celebrate every nation, organization, company and citizen that is part of our shared space history, its present happenings, and the bold future that is in store for everyone."

That is a global story with many participants, he added, and that the assembly of participants is growing larger and more diverse every day.

"For nearly four decades, Space Foundation has worked with countries, communities and companies around the world to inform, educate and collaborate on all things [related to] space. We take great pride in celebrating those achievements that advance humanity’s ambitions for space and bringing those benefits back for life on earth," he said.

Zelibor underscored that since the Apollo-Soyuz program of the 1970s, working level relationships between the American and Russian space programs "have grown considerably, and there is no better example of that than the International Space Station."

"For more than 20 years, Americans have worked with Russia and 30 other partner nations to have a continual human presence of living, working and learning in orbit," he said. "We work well in space because lives matter - especially all the lives of those on board. There are a lot of lessons to be learned by those experiences and relationships."

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in March that the professional relationship between American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts on the International Space Station continues to function, despite political tensions on earth between their two countries over the Ukraine crisis.

Space Foundation, located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is a global space advocate and one of the world’s leading organizations in space awareness activities and major industry events.