Here Is NASA's New Administrator (Probably)
Yesterday, NASA Watch reported that Oklahoma Congressman and Naval Aviator Jim Bridenstine has been selected as the new NASA Administrator, and Aerojet Rocketdyne Vice President John Schumacher has been identified as Deputy Administrator. Ars Technica then confirmed the selections with multiple sources. However, one source familiar with the situation warned that "this is Trump world," implying that nothing is certain until a formal nomination is announced by NASA, which is expected to occur sometime in September.
Bridenstine, the third-term Republican Representative of Oklahoma's 1st congressional district, is a passionate advocate of increased U.S. operations in space, including a return to the moon to construct a permanent base. He has been rumored as a likely candidate for NASA's top job since Donald Trump was elected in November, and he sponsored a bill last year known as the American Space Renaissance Act, which outlines many of his space policies.
The Congressman supports fostering private industry in space and shifting some space operations away from NASA and the Defense Department to the private sector. "Our civil and defense space enterprises must not compete with the private sector, but enable domestic, commercial launch and space capabilities," Bridenstine wrote on his space policy website.
Bridenstine also supports a return to the moon to harvest resources. He called a U.S. return to the lunar surface to build a permanent outpost "our Sputnik moment," in a speech posted on his website:
From the discovery of water ice on the moon until this day, the American objective should have been a permanent outpost of rovers and machines at the poles with occasional manned missions for science and maintenance. The purpose of such an outpost should have been to utilize the materials and energy of the moon to drive down the costs and increase the capabilities of cis-lunar space.
The reported incoming NASA Administrator is also an active aviator and lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve. Bridenstine flew combat missions in both Afghanistan and Iraq, and he flew missions to South and Central America as recently as 2012 to combat the drug trade.
John Schumacher, the likely Deputy Administrator to serve under Bridenstine, served as NASA Chief of Staff from 2003 to 2005. He is the current vice president of Washington D.C. operations for rocket and propulsion company Aerojet Rocketdyne.
The selections for NASA's top two leaders, which comes a couple months after the Trump administration created a new Space Council chaired by Vice President Mike Pence, represents the new administration's desire to expand commercial space operations, but also seems to honor a commitment to traditional aerospace contractors and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion program. The controversial new launch vehicle and spacecraft have suffered multiple delays and cost overruns. While Bridenstine represents a shift toward supporting the efforts of companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin to make access to space more affordable, Schumacher could be an indication that the SLS is safe, as Aerojet Rocketdyne is one of the primary contractors for that program, having received a $1.16 billion contract from NASA to manufacture new RS-25 engines for the mammoth rocket.
The new NASA leadership, if indeed Bridenstine and Schumacher are to head the space agency, will likely work with the Space Council to push for human spaceflight and robotic exploration of the outer solar system at the expense of some Earth science and educational missions. U.S. military presence in space is also expected to expand under the Trump administration, and cooperation with the private space industry will continue to remain a priority.
Source: Ars Technica
You Might Also Like
