Last week's trip by NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden to China did not include talks on specific areas of cooperation between the two countries, but it did "form the basis for further dialogue" on potential collaboration, according to a NASA statement released Monday.

NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden receives a model of the Chang'e 2 lunar satellite from the Chen Qiufa, head of the China National Space Administration. Credit: CNSA/Li Jianzhong

The five-day visit, which raised both concern and support in Congress, was the second time a sitting NASA chief had made an official trip to China. Michael Griffin went to China for introductory talks in 2006.

Michael Cabbage, a senior NASA spokesperson, said Bolden would not be available for interviews on the trip. Several other top NASA officials joined the administrator on the visit.

Bolden visited several key Chinese human spaceflight facilities, including the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, the base from which all of the country's manned space missions have originated.

Jiuquan lies in the Gobi Desert of northwest China on the border of the Gansu and Inner Mongolia provinces.

"I am pleased that NASA was able to meet its objectives for the visit, which included becoming acquainted with relevant Chinese space officials and institutions, better understanding Chinese human spaceflight programs and plans, and reaching a common understanding of the importance of transparency, reciprocity and mutual benefit as the underlying principles of any future interaction between our two nations in the area of human spaceflight," Bolden said in a written statement.

A posting on the website of the China National Space Administration said the two countries expressed a willingness to deepen cooperation in lunar and planetary science. Both sides agreed to take a positive and pragmatic approach to potential collaboration, according to the Chinese.

Bolden's visit was criticized by several Republican members of the House of Representatives, who demanded detailed briefings on the trip and assurances there are no plans for human spaceflight collaboration.

Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., is staunchly opposed to U.S. cooperation with China on the grounds of that country's records of espionage and human rights abuses.

Three more Republicans, John Culberston, R-Texas, Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., and Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., joined Wolf in an Oct. 15 letter requesting a full briefing on the trip and a potential Chinese delegation's visit to the United States in November.

"Most importantly, we would like personal assurance that at no time during your trip there were any discussions of cooperation on human space flight activities," the Congressmen wrote in a joint letter. "China's intentions for its space program are questionable at best, and the American public deserves full disclosure about any discussions between that country and ours."

Bolden said his talks with Chinese officials did not address any concrete plans.

"Although my visit did not include consideration of any specific proposals for future cooperation, I believe that my delegation's visit to China increased mutual understanding on the issue of human spaceflight and space exploration, which can form the basis for further dialogue and cooperation in a manner that is consistent with the national interests of both of our countries," Bolden said.

Another letter to Bolden from two Democrats and a Republican lawmaker urged the administrator to consider a common docking interface for a joint rescue capabilities for U.S., Russian and Chinese space crews.

The space agency is already developing a common standard for future docking systems. NASA and other International Space Station partners, which include Russia but not China, published Oct. 19 a first draft of a technical standard for a docking interface.

NASA and other partners are developing their own docking systems that could be used interchangeably on the space station. The goal is to permit future station docking ports to receive any type of visiting vehicle.

Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for space operations, mentioned the docking interface responding to a question on the outcome of Bolden's visit to China.

"We didn't specifiy a docking design, but we specified an interface that if you could meet this interface you could potentially dock to space station in the future," Gerstenmaier said.

NASA and China established working groups on joint space and Earth science research in 2007, and Bolden also discussed progress in those areas last week, according to an agency statement.