Enlarge / Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.) is likely to be NASA's next administrator.
NASA may finally be close to getting some clarity about its leadership during the Trump administration. On Tuesday, NASA Watch reported that the President will nominate US Representative Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.) as administrator and Aerojet Rocketdyne Vice President John Schumacher as deputy administrator. Both men have been rumored to be nominated for these posts in recent weeks, but there have been no official confirmations as yet.
Two sources familiar with Washington, DC, space politics confirmed the choices to Ars, but one of them offered a caveat. "I have heard same from multiple sources, but this is Trump world," one DC-based source said.
A formal announcement has been in the works for September, but a date and location have not yet been set. "To the best of my knowledge, there have been no White House announcements on this subject matter at this time," NASA's associate administrator for communications, Jen Rae Wang, told Ars on Tuesday evening.
John Logsdon, a noted space historian and author of several books, includingAfter Apollo? Richard Nixon and the American Space Program, said he has been hearing the same names. "Appointing Jim Bridenstine and John Schumacher as the top two NASA officials is an intriguing and potentially very productive move," Logsdon told Ars, via e-mail. "Bridenstine, for several years, has been conceptualizing what is needed for, as he suggests, an 'American Space Renaissance' and has been testing his ideas with multiple audiences. Schumacher is a Washington space community veteran, with years of both senior NASA and space industry executive experience. Together, they can bring both fresh ideas and a sense of political and policy realism to the space agency."
Since President Obama left office in January, a civil servant named Robert Lightfoot has been guiding the agency through the transition. Lightfoot was among the candidates for both positions, and it is not clear whether he will remain on at NASA. By all accounts, Lightfoot has done a good job at maintaining NASA's programs through the last eight months. His most critical decision came in May, when Lightfootdecided against putting crew on the maiden launch of the Space Launch System (SLS).
An aviator in the US Navy Reserve, Bridenstine is serving his third term as a US Representative for Oklahoma. From almost the beginning of his tenure in Congress, Bridenstine has shown an interest in civil, commercial, and military space policy. The conservative has previously outlined broad goals to modernize the US spaceflight enterprise with his American Space Enterprise Act.
He is a big-picture guy and seen as a potential changemaker. Bridenstine, 42, was championed by several commercial space companies because he is open to increased privatization of US civil and military space activities. "Our civil and defense space enterprises must not compete with the private sector, but enable domestic, commercial launch, and space capabilities," he has said.
The Oklahoma Congressman has also openly advocated for a human return to the Moon before NASA embarks upon a mission to Mars. In speeches and in a blog post on his Congressional website, Bridenstine has called the opening of the Moon for commercial activity the "Sputnik moment" for this generation.
"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," Bridenstine wrote. "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."
Bridenstine checks several boxes for the Trump administration and space: a conservative Trump supporter, someone who would prioritize lunar exploration, build upon the commercialization of space, and be willing to push NASA back toward human exploration at the expense of some activities, such as Earth science. Some ardent supporters of NASA's large, government-led exploration programsthe SLS rocket and Orion spacecrafthave balked at Bridenstine since January due to his pro-commercialization views. However, the likely choice of a deputy administrator, Schumacher, may alleviate some of those concerns.
With more than three decades of experience inmilitary, civil, and commercial space, Schumacher understands how Washington, DC, works. He also has previous NASA experience, serving aschief of staff for former NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe from 2003 to 2005 and as NASA's Associate Administrator for External Relations from 1994 to 2003.
Schumacher hasworked at Aerojet Rocketdyne for the last 11 years, joining Aerojet in 2006 asvice president of the company's Washington, DC, operations. Aerojet is one of the prime contractors on the SLS rocket. In 2015, the engine-builder received a $1.16 billion contract from NASA to re-start production of the RS-25 engine to power the core stage of the SLS rocket.
In addition to demonstrating the administration's support for traditional aerospace contractors, Ars understands that Schumacher is seen as someone with the political connections and experience to manage NASA and push forward its agenda in Congress.
So what does this mean, if true? It suggests that Vice President Mike Pence and the Space Council will seek to innovate with NASA going forward. For example, it seems likely that the space agency will, over the next 12 to 18 months, revamp its exploration plans to include study the lunar surface for ice deposits and the ease at which those might be recovered. Human missions to the surface of the Moon are also likely to be planned for the 2020s.
Congress has maintained strong support for the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft, and White House seems willing to go along with both, at least for now. (The new executive secretary of the space council, Scott Pace, favors such an approach). At the same time, a Bridenstine-led NASA would likely continue to look for innovative ways to increase commercial partnerships, such as offering opportunities for traditional aerospace contractors, like Boeing and Lockheed Martin, as well as new space firms, such as SpaceX and Blue Origin, to deliver cargo to the Moon and build landers for that purpose.
The always simmering traditional space versus commercial space dynamic will be one of the most interesting areas to watch under the new leadership. The appointment of Bridenstine and Schumacher indicates that Pence has not fully made a decision yet on how much to commercialize NASA beyond its existing commercial crew and cargo programs.
Planetary science also seems relatively safe under NASA's likely leadership, given the strong support in Congress such missions enjoy. Climate science, of course, has been under siege at other federal agencies, and it likely would face similar funding cuts under Bridenstine's leadership.
Here is the original post:
NASA may finally be getting a leaderOklahoma pilot Jim Bridenstine - Ars Technica
- 2D Laser Profiling Scanner for Detecting Targets - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- NASA Energy Concept Could Harness the Power of Ocean Waves - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Data Acquisition Modules - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Dr. Scott Barthelmy, Research Scientist, Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Laser Tracker Ensures Accurate Alignment of Ares I Components - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Dual Cryogenic Capacitive Density Sensor - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Advanced Technologies Will Help Hubble Yield More Remarkable Discoveries - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Dr. Gerard Holzmann, Senior Research Scientist at the Laboratory for Reliable Software, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- NASA Research Will Help Aircraft Avoid Ocean Storms and Turbulence - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- NASA Awards 2008 Software of the Year - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Here Come The Tricorders - Update - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- China's View on Space - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Milsat Coordination and Tracking Issues - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Trash Talking and End Runs at NASA HQ - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Ares 1-Y is Toast - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Beyond Augustine - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Analyzing LCROSS' Plume - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Live Event: NASA-Sponsored Power Beaming Challenge - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- JSC Wants To Build a Replicator - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- USA: Looking For Ways To Hang On - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Lunar Lander Challenge Prizes Awarded - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Senate Votes To Restore NASA Budget Cuts - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- New FAA Regs for Commercial Reentry - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- TEDxNASA: An Invitation-Only NASA Meeting - Unless You Are Lucky - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Close Call For Courtney Stadd - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Space: A Waste? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Making NASA Cool - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Engaging JSC’s Next Gen: A Leadership Analysis - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Dumpster Diving for Rockets - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- TEDx NASA - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Reflections On a Business Trip in Huntsville - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Staying the Course - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The Economics of Space - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Ideas at Work - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Blah Blah Blah - Why We Should Care About Social Media - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Will White House Speak Soon About NASA? - December 12th, 2009 [December 12th, 2009]
- Software Aids Design of Ares V Composite Shroud Structure - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- ASDX Series of silicon pressure sensors - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Industry Update: Analysis & Simulation Software - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Battery Will Provide Backup Power for Space Shuttles - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- NASA Employee Claims To Have Witnessed Hijacking Planning - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Big Party in The Mojave Tonight - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Looking at Boulders on the Moon - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- SpaceBook Featured by White House - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- New Ways to Use Constellation Stuff - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- LaRC internal Poll Update - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Coalition for Space Exploration Does a (Much Needed) Reboot - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Lunar Orbiter: Comparing Old and New Images - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Boulder Trails On The Moon - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Vote for John Grunsfeld - National Geographic Adventurer of the YeAR - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Charlie Bolden at WIA/AIAA - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Live Webcast From The Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Big Aerospace Warns of Job Cut Impact - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- The Boulders of Copernicus - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- shame on us - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- 2009 Space Elevator Games - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Random Hacks of Kindness - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- TEDx NASA Tickets Available to the Public - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- It’s better in person - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Leading Amidst the Disruptive Innovation Storm - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Space: What’s NOT to Hope for? - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Government in the Digital Age - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- SpaceUp – A Space Unconference - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Starfleet Academy? - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Crowdsourcing NASA - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Bringing Home The Bacon - December 14th, 2009 [December 14th, 2009]
- Anti-Space Mom with Pro-Space Kids - December 14th, 2009 [December 14th, 2009]
- How Quickly We Forget - December 14th, 2009 [December 14th, 2009]
- WISE Launch A Success - December 14th, 2009 [December 14th, 2009]
- Dynetics Buys Orion Propulsion - December 15th, 2009 [December 15th, 2009]
- New NASA Governance Structure Under Development - December 16th, 2009 [December 16th, 2009]
- Bolden Meets With Obama on Wednesday - December 16th, 2009 [December 16th, 2009]
- MSFC Procurement Doesn't Understand what "Open Source" Means - December 16th, 2009 [December 16th, 2009]
- Bolden Meets With Obama - December 17th, 2009 [December 17th, 2009]
- Parker Griffith AT MSFC Today - December 18th, 2009 [December 18th, 2009]
- Why Your NASA Computer May Not Work Properly - December 18th, 2009 [December 18th, 2009]
- Lakes and Fog on Titan - December 18th, 2009 [December 18th, 2009]
- Waterworld Found - December 18th, 2009 [December 18th, 2009]
- Pandora Could Exist - December 18th, 2009 [December 18th, 2009]
- Laurie Leshin Is The New ESMD Deputy AA - December 18th, 2009 [December 18th, 2009]