Comment from Rewa Bush

[200.202(e), 200.220] To Whom it May Concern: My name is Rewa Bush, and I am an PhD student in Astronomy at Yale University. I am writing in my personal capacity to oppose the proposed revisions to sections 200.202(e) and 200.220 that would restrict international scientific collaboration and isolate American scientists. As a graduate researcher, I rely on the expertise, mentorship, and collaboration of astronomers around the world. Only half the night sky is visible from the US, and international partnerships are essential in order for us to access observatories in the southern hemisphere. Astronomy is inherently a global pursuit. The International Space Station is an example of one of the triumphs of astronomy and of humanity— an international space laboratory that has been continuously orbiting Earth for more than a quarter century, persisting through conflicts and wars, economic recessions, and political upheaval. We are able to achieve such great heights of discovery due to relying on our international partners who buoy us when we need support (e.g., like how we relied on transporting astronauts to the ISS on Russian shuttles when the US space shuttle program was decommissioned). Our capacity to do pioneering, groundbreaking science would be destroyed if we were to severe our international collaborations and partnerships, impoverishing our country and all of humanity.