Over the past 52 years, the world has progressed from the first man in space, to landing on the moon, to permanent human presence on manned space stations. Mankind is now poised to explore even farther. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze whether international cooperation or competition is more in the U.S. interest from the perspective of political, technological, and cost-effectiveness criteria for returning humans to the moon, Mars or an asteroid and establishing a permanent presence. The 1960s space race between the U.S. and USSR and current cooperation on the International Space Station will provide a historical basis for comparison. Countries with major space programs will be reviewed for possible partnerships in future space endeavors. This thesis concludes that the future and next steps for human spaceflight with international partners will need to begin as a coordinated and interdependent effort at the onset with the goal of habitation on the moon.

Subjects: Human Spaceflight; International Cooperation; Competition; 1960s Space Race; USSR; International Space Station; ISS; NASA; Russia; China; Europe; European Space Agency; ESA; Japan; Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency; JAXA; India; Indian Space Research Organization; ISRO