Earth to NASA

The Cartoon is by William Warren

NASA Director Charles Bolden created a firestorm after telling Al Jazeera last month that President Obama told him before he took the job that he wanted him to do three things: inspire children to learn math and science, expand international relationships and "perhaps foremost, he wanted me to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science ... and math and engineering." In the same interview, Bolden also said the United States, which first sent men to the moon in 1969, is no longer capable of reaching beyond low earth orbit without help from other nations.

Officials from the White House and NASA stood by Bolden's statement that part of his mission is to improve relations with Muslim countries -- though NASA backed off the claim that such international diplomacy is Bolden's "foremost" responsibility. White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said in a written statement that Obama "wants NASA to engage with the world's best scientists and engineers as we work together to push the boundaries of exploration.

Former NASA administrator Michael Griffin responded, "NASA ... represents the best of America. Its purpose is not to inspire Muslims or any other cultural entity." Griffin also said that collaboration with other countries, including Muslim nations, is welcome and should be encouraged -- but that it would be a mistake to prioritize that over NASA's "fundamental mission" of space exploration.

It appears that after President Obama closed down the Space Shuttle program and the Constellation program then moved to redistribute the focus and funding of NASA to the Muslim world. Bolden oversaw the cancellation of the agency's Constellation program, which was building new rockets and spaceships capable of returning astronauts to the moon. Stressing the importance of international cooperation in future missions, Bolden told Al Jazeera that the moon, Mars and asteroids are still planned destinations for NASA in partnership with the international community.

Obama's Plan for NASA : Forget Space, Improve Relations With Muslim World

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