Roscosmos: Int'l Space Cooperation Strongest in Times of Political Crises

Scientists from different states involved in space exploration tend to work more closely together when politicians fail to set aside their differences, a Roscosmos space agency executive in charge of manned missions Sergei Krikalev said.

LONDON (Sputnik) — Krikalev, a Russian veteran cosmonaut and record holder for the second longest time in space, said that scientists are professionals who can see beyond political disputes. They are used to treating one another with respect and are always ready to support one another.

"I feel that just when a rift between politicians grows wider, the community working in science, technology and space grows closer together to somehow offset this divide," Sergei Krikalev, of Russia’s state-run Roscosmos space agency, told RIA Novosti.

Krikalev arrived in the United Kingdom last week for an outreach event at Imperial College London attended by dozens of spacefarers from Russia, the United States and Europe.