Tue, Sep 15, 2009
Agreement Allows Exchange Of Tech Information, Personnel
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and European Space Agency
(ESA) Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain signed a memorandum of
understanding Friday for cooperation in the field of space
transportation. The agreement was signed at NASA Headquarters in
Washington.
"From shuttle Spacelab missions to the International Space
Station, ESA has a long history of participating with NASA in human
spaceflight," Bolden said. "With this agreement, it is our intent
to continue to build this relationship, sharing valuable
engineering analyses and technology concepts that will help
transport humans to low Earth orbit and beyond."
The agreement will allow NASA and ESA to exchange technical
information and personnel, which will aid the eventual development
of new transportation systems. It is expected that ESA's Ariane 5
development and flight experience will provide valuable engineering
analyses and technology concepts for NASA's new launch and
spacecraft systems.
"The memorandum of understanding marks a new milestone in the
already very strong and long-lasting cooperation between ESA and
NASA," said ESA's Dordain. "The exchange of technical information
this document allows in the fields of space transportation will be
beneficial to both agencies and will facilitate our work toward
future launch systems, human spaceflight and exploration
missions."
The exchanges of information will provide NASA with assistance
in a number of areas, including: composite material technology;
development of payload shrouds; and management of propellants in
spacecraft propulsion systems used for transit to and from lunar
orbit.
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