COUNTRIES WORK TOGETHER 

As man moves into space, exploration becomes a universal project. No longer does one country dominate new frontiers. It seems nature is insisting on a new form of cooperation.

A good example of this working together has shown up in both the Russian and American space programs. Both countries have now trained and flown with nationals of many other countries.

One unusual New Age explorer recently visited Vancouver. He was Prince Sultan Bin Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, the first Arab astronaut. The 29 year old nephew of King Faud of Saudi Arabia was here as a visitor to Expo and also to host several receptions and dinners and to talk with the members of the Young Astronauts organization and to see the space show "Going Up" at the H.R. MacMillan Planatarium.

During his flight on the U.S. Space Shuttle Discovery in June of 1985, Prince Sultan assisted in the launch of three Communications satellites including one for the Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Arabsat). (Prince Sultan a Major Pilot in the Royal Saudi Air Force, has a degree in mass communications from the University of Denver.) The same flight tested a Milky Way probe and served as the target for an earth-to-shuttle laser test.

A series of in-cabin experiments designed by Saudi scientists including one designed by another member of the Saudi Royal Family, Prince Turki ibn Sa'ud ibn Muhammad Al Sa'ud of Stanford University, was also carried out by the prince who served as a payload specialist on this trip known officially as Mission 51-G.

For the first time Arab television viewers in the Middle East were able to receive a beamed-backed guided tour of the space shuttle's interior in Arabic from Prince Sultan. He also held a phone conversation with the King, read the Koran and prayed. The latter presented some new applications as to the direction of the Arab Holy City of Mecca.

As cost and necessity forces countries to pool resources and work together, we are slowly learning that in the New Age cooperation is the better idea.

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