John Horack, Vice President for Research and inaugural holder of the Neil Armstrong Chair in Aerospace Policy at Ohio State University, visited the Academy to discuss the future of transatlantic cooperation in space. In his keynote speech, he reviewed the history of space travel, focusing in particular on the contribution made by German engineers. He also emphasized the importance of cultural aspects in literature, radio, and cinema, which he believes made a key contribution to the development of space travel in the 20th century.

Moderated by Bonn-based journalist Martin Wein, he discussed these topics with AIA Associate Fellow Raúl González Muñoz, lecturer in space policy and economics at the University of Leicester (UK). Raul emphasized the need for European strategic autonomy in space policy and, in contrast to other policy areas where European countries unfortunately often block each other, saw space travel as one of the areas with very high potential for cooperation.

The two panelists discussed the upcoming retirement of the International Space Station (ISS), clearly the greatest product of a transatlantic partnership between NASA and ESA in recent decades. They also discussed the current status of the Artemis program, the first manned spaceflight project since Apollo 17, which NASA and ESA are coordinating in collaboration with the Japanese (JAXA) and Canadian (CSA) space agencies. When asked whether those present would live to see a flight to Mars, both panelists expressed skepticism. At present, this would only be possible with a one-way ticket, and the technical challenges remain enormous.

After a lively discussion with the audience, which also covered topics such as the new arms race in space and the problem of space pollution, all participants agreed that they would not allow themselves to lose their optimism about the future of space travel.