Welcoming Mr. Tilman, Vice President for Academics Prof. Joydeep Dutta,
and Vice President for Research Prof. Sudip Rakshit emphasized how AIT
and NASA could work
together. Mr. Tilman explained that NASA is federal agency under the
direct leadership of the President of the United States. It currently
maintains some 500 collaborations, two-thirds of which are
science-related. He emphasized that NASA operates at a
government-to-government level and provides direct financial funding
only to American organizations.
Shedding details of AIT’s new Charter, which so far has been signed by
13 governments and one international organization and will re-establish
AIT to the status of a full-fledged International
Intergovernmental Organization, Prof. Rakshit suggested that AIT could
partner with NASA. “We hope to directly or indirectly work with NASA,”
he said.
Later, in a presentation to a large group of students, Mr. Tilman
elaborated on NASA’s five core themes, all of which have international
cooperation components. NASA organizes its work through its Human
Spaceflight, Science, Exploration, Aeronautics, and Education
Programs.
He gave insight into its famed Human Space Program, offering
operational specifics about the 30-year-old Shuttle Program, the
International Space Station program and its associated international
partnerships. The NASA official also explained details the four
thematic science areas of NASA’s Science Program which include its
earth science, astrophysics, heliophysics, and planetary science
programs. NASA currently operates 50 satellites, 50 percent of which
are in partnerships with space agencies representing Europe, France,
Germany, and Japan.
Although NASA can only fund U.S. enterprises, partners of
NASA can in-turn work with international partners, he said.
Opportunities for international collaboration do exist under its
Education Program, which operates notable earth observation outreach
projects such as AERONET, GLOBE, and SERVIR, he said.
NASA continues to inspire the imagination and dream big, Mr. Tilman
told AIT onlookers. Under its Aeronautics Research Program, NASA has a
mandate to fund R&D into new, green aviation fuels and cutting-edge
aviation materials. Through its Hubble Telescope orbiting the earth at
22,000 kilometers per hour, scientists can peer out into deep space
through a powerful lens to ‘almost’ the beginning of the universe 13
billion years ago. Monumental goals also remain. Through its
Exploration Systems Program, NASA is keen to have human beings explore
Mars in 20 to 30 years time, he said. “One of NASA’s scientific
objectives is to find life in the universe,” Tilman confirmed.
Also attending the meeting with Mr. Tilman were Dr. Lal Samarakoon,
Director, Geoinformatics Center; Dr. Masahiko Nagai, Associate
Director, Geoinformatics Center; Mr. Karma Rana, Institute Secretary;
Dr. Pritam K. Shrestha, Head, External Relations and Communications
Office (ERCO), and Uma Sittichai, Senior Administrative Officer,
ERCO.
