I agree with you in the sense that space exploration is at its core a human, not national, achievement. National divisions are silly when seen in the context of

I agree with you in the sense that space exploration is at its core a human, not national, achievement. National divisions are silly when seen in the context of the vastness of space. In a similar vein, I think Gene Roddenberry was right in thinking that true elimination of national boundaries will come after we meet sentient aliens for the first time - with an alien to compare ourselves against, we all see our common humanity much more clearly. We're partway there. As you say, there is cooperation on the Space Station. Cooperation between the various space agencies on missions from telescopes to probes is commonplace. Look at Cassini: a NASA probe with a ESA lander. The Curiosity rover has a Russian instrument on it. But we haven't reached the point yet where nationalism is no longer a part of the drive behind space exploration or other 'big-science' projects. I see competition for scientific glory as a healthy and productive form of competition, so I don't think we should completely shy away from it. It's akin to rival schools competing for academic glory - a kind of tribalism that results in achievements which benefit all.