WASHINGTON A closer bond has already been forged between the United States and Europe by the events of September 11. Making it even stronger through greater cooperation can help shape 21^st century commercial and government space projects, representatives of both sides said.

World space leaders kicked off three days of meetings here at the International Space Symposium, sponsored by The Space Foundation.

Francois Auque, Executive Vice President, Space Systems, for the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), said the events of September 11 were an "assault on our common values." The terrorist attacks have tremendously strengthened the links between Europe and the United States, he said.

"Space is a fantastic domain for international cooperation because no country on Earth can go it alone," Auque said. "However, this cooperation should be evenly beneficial to all parties," he added.

EADS is the largest European aerospace defense company, and number two worldwide. As such, EADS is busy working on human spaceflight, space science, launchers, Earth observation and reconnaissance, as well as military communications satellites.

In overall size, EADS is less than a third of the size of the larger U.S. aerospace firms, Lockheed Martin and Boeing. The space institutional market in Europe represents less than $4 billion compared to about $26 billion in America, Auque said.

As the main European industrial partner in the International Space Station program, the company is providing the European laboratory called Columbus, and the Automatic Transfer Vehicles.

"But we could do more," Auque said. "We could play an important role in the Crew Return Vehicle, for example. We would like to be a co-prime contractor with the U.S. industry and not limit ourselves to just providing selected pieces of hardware," he said.

Planetary exploration can also be a good sector in which to develop international projects over the next couple of decades, Auque said.

Additionally, Auque said that other tracks are ripe for transatlantic cooperation. He singled out reusable launch vehicles, commercial ventures, as well as ballistic missile defense.

Ambassador Raimundo Gonzalez, Chairman, of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), noted in his keynote speech that space applications projects have great potential in raising the standard and quality of life in developing nations.

"New avenues for cooperation" are now available, making use of space to empower countries around the world to strengthen economic and social conditions, as well as enhancing security for all.

Satellites can help close the gap between rich and poor countries, Gonzalez said. He added that commercial space activities have influenced the work of COPUOS, and that challenges exist in space law regarding international financial practices.

A much-anticipated review of NASA, to be given today by Courtney Stadd, the agency's Chief of Staff and White House Liaison, was not to be. The high-ranking official cancelled his luncheon talk at the last minute.

NASAs John Schumacher, Associate Administrator for External Affairs, substituted for Stadd.

The terrorist attacks have heightened NASAs sense of purpose. The space agency "must provide America with the best civil aeronautics and space program we can for every tax dollar invested," Schumacher said.

"The space station is upand is a great symbol of international cooperation, and a great symbol of what we can do together, and a great symbol for the next step of how we can work together both in space, on the ground, for the push out," Schumacher said.

Schumacher highlighted the agencys work in progress some six or seven months of effort to create a strategy for NASA in space commerce. One key element of that strategy is creating a non-government organization to run the International Space Station.

There are several public-private partnership models to draw from, Schumacher said, such as the Hubble Space Telescope Science Institute, NASAs Astrobiology Institute, and the various NASA Centers for the Commercial Development of Space.

"We want to build upon our experience," Schumacher said. "How to proceed with the NGO is a big topic of conversation," he said.

Likely to be a blockbuster, a report is soon to be issued by the International Space Station (ISS) Management and Cost Evaluation Task Force. This group was chartered in late August, and has examined the science, engineering, business, and financial dimensions of the troubled space station program.

Task force findings may be released as early as this Friday or early next week, Schumacher told SPACE.com.

Also underway, is a "NASA after next" assessment, Schumacher said. This review will plot the coming five years, where the space agency should be going, and sort out NASAs core and unique government functions, he said.