science days brings new international collaboration avenues between space agencies

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Space inspires citizens in every country to be creative and collaborate, and with new  amazing opportunities available in the space exploration field, representatives from seven different space agencies and space foundations, including Israel Ian Ramon Foundation, the European Space Agency Austria BIC, NASA, the Brazilian Space Agency AEB, Buzz Aldrin Share Space Foundation, the Florida Space Institute and the Space Laboratory, spoke about STEM and the future of Space exploration and the need for countries to work together in space during Science Days last month at the International Space Expo & Symposium hosted in several cities in Brazil.

"One of the defining characteristics of the modern space age is the way that more nations are taking part like never before, said Jeff Michaelis, space educator with the Michaelis Foundation". 

Space exploration is no longer a battle to prove which country is the best, and the citizens of the United States can expect even more international involvement as NASA prepares to return to the moon on its way to Mars.

That’s evident in President Donald Trump’s plans for space exploration, which is steeped in international partnerships. His fiscal year 2019 budget provides funds to develop the foundation for the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, which would give the
U.S. "a strategic presence in the lunar vicinity that will drive the U.S activity with commercial and international partners and help us further explore the moon and its resources and translate that experience toward human missions to Mars."

Working with others is how NASA will succeed, Administrator Jim Bridenstine said at the Wilson Center last fall, and according to the Houston Chronicle, Bridenstine said. “Now, NASA is international, cooperative, and we’re able to do more for a whole lot less than ever before.”
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The space leaders who attended Science Days expressed their commitment to international cooperation, and to finding new ways to collaborate even more in the near future.

As more countries expand their space activities, strong international cooperation and collaboration is imperative, according to space leaders from around the globe who attended Science Days.

"We're all in this together, and we will all benefit from these activities," said Nadia Sacenco , a senior space executive at the Brazilian Space Agency.

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