[meteorite-list] NASA and Japanese Space Agency Discuss Space Cooperation

[Ron Baalke]

July 10, 2013

David Weaver/Michael Braukus
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600/1979
david.s.weaver at nasa.gov/michael.j.braukus at nasa.gov 

RELEASE 13-213

NASA and Japanese Space Agency Discuss Space Cooperation

WASHINGTON -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and the president of the  
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) met in Washington Wednesday, July  
10, to discuss the importance of international cooperation in space,  
especially the continued support for the International Space Station.

Bolden and Naoki Okumura also discussed NASA's plans for a new asteroid  
initiative, previously announced in President Obama's fiscal year 2014 budget  
proposal. Okumura welcomed the opportunity to discuss JAXA's potential  
contribution based on experience through its Hayabusa asteroid sample return  
mission. This is Okumura's first bilateral meeting with NASA since being  
named JAXA's president in April.

"NASA has enjoyed a long-standing, mutually beneficial relationship with  
Japan in space exploration activities and we look forward to further  
discussions about our asteroid initiative," said Bolden. "We currently have  
more than 35 active agreements with JAXA in human spaceflight, Earth science,  
space science, and aeronautics, making Japan one of the agency's leading  
partners in civil space cooperation."

NASA's asteroid initiative involves robotically capturing a small near-Earth  
asteroid and redirecting it safely to a stable lunar orbit where astronauts  
can visit and explore it.

Capturing and redirecting an asteroid integrates the best of NASA's science,  
technology and human exploration capabilities and draws on the innovation of  
America's brightest scientists and engineers. The knowledge gained from the  
initiative will help us protect our planet, advance exploration capabilities  
and technologies for human spaceflight, and help us better utilize our space  
resources.

For more information about NASA visit:

http://www.nasa.gov*

-end-