That Old Space Race Feeling: NASA Memo Suspends Contact With Russians - Megan Garber - The Atlantic
▻http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/04/that-old-space-race-feeling-nasa-memo-suspends-contact-with-russians/360056
▻https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=es7Br9kJBbo
Space has often been celebrated as a place that allows humans, literally and otherwise, to transcend the petty divisions of life on Earth. Astronauts, upon seeing the planet from outside its borders, often comment on how small the planet’s vastness makes our differences seem. The grounding philosophy of the International Space Station, first articulated at the height of the Cold War, is that there should be a place outside of Earth dedicated to international cooperation. It’s logic so common, and so comforting, that Bette Midler wrote a song about it.
I mention all that because of this: a memo that was sent to NASA employees this morning. One announcing that, because of “Russia’s ongoing violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the U.S. space agency will be suspending its contact with representatives of the Russian government. The suspension, The Verge notes, includes “travel to Russia, teleconferences, and visits by Russian government officials to NASA facilities.”
It is a big deal.
Here’s the purported memo, as published by the site Space Ref:.....
