NASA considers collaborating with Hawaii

HONOLULU, March 7 (UPI) -- NASA has agreed to explore collaborating with Hawaii in commercial space initiatives, research, education and workforce development.

Under the terms of a memorandum of understanding signed Wednesday in Honolulu, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Ames Research Center will explore opportunities for collaboration with Hawaii in support of the Vision for Space Exploration project-- NASA's plan to return humans to the moon and travel to Mars.

"We are excited to partner with NASA to collaborate on future space exploration," said Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle. "We are looking forward to future collaborations with NASA to develop innovative opportunities in aerospace-related fields that capitalize on Hawaii's science and technology resources and capabilities."

The memorandum of understanding will be in effect for two years and stipulates neither NASA nor the state of Hawaii will be required to pay any fees or provide funds to support the areas of collaboration.