You likely saw some of the recent stories coming out of the UK that NASA chief, Mike Griffin, has spotlighted the prospect that China could possibly place people on the Moon, perhaps before the U.S. replants its own boots there.

“As a matter of technical capability, it absolutely can,” he told the BBC News in London.

But one little nugget of newness caught my eye from Griffin. That is, some early scientific partnerships between the two space powers are being eyed.

I contacted NASA public affairs officer, Mike Braukus, for a little more info.

Turns out that there’s been some recent NASA chat with China following Griffin’s September 2006 space trek to that country - the first time a NASA administrator had visited there.

Discussions between NASA and China National Space Administration (CNSA) leaders concern the establishment of Earth and space science working groups, Braukus advised.

“The areas of discussion centered on complementary measurements and data exchange on missions that are already being pursued in each country in the fields of Earth and space science,” Braukus said. “It could be beneficial to NASA to cooperate with CNSA in these areas to share data, reduce mission cost and duplication, and advance scientific knowledge,” he added.

This all reminds me of U.S.-Soviet Union Cold War thawing in the space arena - steps that led to an Apollo-Soyuz docking, shuttle visits to the Mir space station, and open airlock policy that led to the International Space Station.

Small science steps can lead to giant leaps of collaboration.