NASA Administrator Bill Nelson met with students at Sofia University

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson is visiting Bulgaria. He spoke to students at Sofia University. The visit comes a year after Bulgaria became part of Artemis Accords, the strategic international partnership agreement in space technology and exploration of the Moon and Mars.

More than 9,000 kilometres from NASA headquarters, the space agency's chief Bill Nelson said:

"Do I think there is extraterrestrial life? Yes, I think there is. With a cosmos this big, we can't even imagine. Is it possible that there be another planet with conditions like Earth? Of course it is. That's why we're digging on Mars. That's why the Mars rover Perseverance is making holes as big as a cigarette box, collecting samples in titanium containers. Years from now, when we get those 32 containers of samples from where we assume there was water - we'll have a clear answer as to whether there were traces of life on Mars."

Bill Nelson, NASA Adminstrator: "We're not going to the Moon this time, just to show we can go, that's what we did 50 years ago. We're going to the Moon to learn how to live under these conditions, to learn how to exist and what kinds of technology it's going to take to go to the next step, which is to send humans to Mars."

But before future missions to the Moon and Mars, the space agency faces another issue - will it be able to make rotating flights every 6 months to the International Space Station. The goal is for SpaceX and Boeing to take turns. A goal that currently seems impossible because of the technical difficulties that Boeing's Starliner capsule is experiencing. The return of the two astronauts stranded in Earth orbit is expected to be in February next year.

Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator: "When it comes to human lives. We lost 17 astronauts. Three in the fire during the first Apollo mission. And the rest during flights on the Challenger and Columbia shuttles. So we're not going to take an unreasonable risk until we know why the equipment isn't working properly. It was my personal decision to return the Starliner capsule empty. I am confident and confident that Boeing will fix the equipment and will be able to participate in rotational flights every 6 months to the International Space Station."

Bill Nelson gave a lecture to students and a meeting with a Bulgarian small satellite company is planned:

"The first thing I suggested to your President is that there should be a Bulgarian astronaut. Space business is a way for your economy to grow. And Bulgaria has an incredible future."

Images by BTA