MOSCOW. Feb 7 (Interfax) - Russian and U.S. lunar programs could be combined to some extent, Russian Academy of Sciences President Alexander Sergeyev said.
"It is true that we and the Americans have scratched the surface, and the next lunar exploration projects should be completely new. We are discussing ways to achieve pivotal results for everyone. We have our lunar program, the Americans have theirs, and a partial synchronization of these programs is possible. China has a lunar exploration program, as well, and, naturally, we can look into these political matters," Sergeyev told the press at the Kremlin on Thursday before the presentation of the Presidential Prize in Science and Innovation for Young Scientists.
The lunar program and the lunar project remain a subject of discussion, Sergeyev said. The United States and the Soviet Union devoted considerable resources to studying the moon in the 1960s-1970s: U.S. astronauts landed there and there were Soviet rovers. Nevertheless, the lunar program remains topical for all space powers, Sergeyev said.
"We should promote those projects that will demonstrate our leadership," he said.
The newspaper Kommersant reported on Thursday that Roscosmos and the Russian Academy of Sciences had agreed to train specialists in the field of space law to defend Russia's interests in lunar exploration projects. Roscosmos and the Academy will hold a joint meeting later this month.
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