Taking Space Exploration Beyond Traditional Partnerships

NASA plans more outreach to Muslim countries, Orlando Sentinel
“NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden said Tuesday that President Barack Obama has asked him to “find ways to reach out to dominantly Muslim countries” as the White House pushes the space agency to become a tool of international diplomacy. “In addition to the nations that most of you usually hear about when you think about the International Space Station, we now have expanded our efforts to reach out to non-traditional partners,” said Bolden, speaking to a lecture hall of young engineering students.”
What’s next for US spaceflight, if not the moon?, Christian Science Monitor
“Why bother with human spaceflight at all? For many people and countries, human spaceflight represents a pinnacle of human technological achievement and prestige. Others point to potential economic and environmental benefits that could come from activities ranging from space tourism and tapping resources on the moon to use as fuel for fusion energy to mining asteroids or producing pharmaceuticals in microgravity conditions.”