ODYSSEY MOON PRESS RELEASE
Washington, DC – Odyssey Moon, a commercial lunar enterprise, announced today that former NASA Associate Administrator Dr. Alan Stern has accepted a role with the Isle of Man-based company. Dr. Stern was a recognized engine of change and innovation as chief of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, championing new science programs while being a stalwart advocate of cost and value control when he served at NASA.
Dr. Stern has joined the Odyssey Moon executive team on an exclusive part time consulting basis as the company’s Science Mission Director, part of a new diversified career focus spanning many of his lifelong interests and activities. He expects that his blended understanding of science and business will help Odyssey Moon establish a commercial lunar business while pursuing the $30 Million Google Lunar X PRIZE. “I am a fan of public-private partnerships and building bridges to new markets,” he said. “I believe we are on the verge of a whole new era of space exploration and that the private sector can provide reliable cost effective services that can increase the value and leverage government space budgets.”
A veteran of space exploration with over 25 year experience, Stern’s alliance with the private space sector comes at a critical time when NASA and other space agencies are looking carefully at the value proposition in partnering with the commercial sector for space activities.
Continue reading ‘Former NASA AA Alan Stern Joins Google Lunar X Prize Team Odyssey Moon’
After seven weeks of suspense, NASA has found a permanent replacement for Ed Weiler, the acting associate administrator for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate. And the new chief is….
Ed Weiler!
NASA Administrator Mike Griffin removed the interim from Weiler’s title on Wednesday. The former director of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center had been named to the post on March 26 following the resignation of his predecessor, Alan Stern.
“I’m very pleased to have Ed officially accept a more long-term position as science chief. His leadership style and 26 years of Headquarters experience will be vital to the success of upcoming science activities and missions,” Griffin said in a press release.
With only eight months left in George W. Bush’s term, it’s not clear how permanent the new position will be for Weiler. However, it is possible that John McCain might keep Griffin and his crew on board if he wins the presidency.
There has been a lot of media coverage of S. Alan Stern’s departure as head of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD). Stern lasted less than a year on the job before abruptly resigning on Wednesday in the wake of the agency’s decision to rescind deep cuts in the popular Mars Exploration Rover program.
Because neither Stern nor NASA Administrator Mike Griffin revealed the precise reasons behind the departure, people were left speculating about a decision that has left the science community stunned.
“His departure is a shock to people,” Mark Sykes, director of the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Ariz., told Scientific American. “It means potentially a black day for science at NASA.”
Continue reading ‘More on Alan Stern’s Departure; Ed Weiler Promises to Balance Cost, Quality’
NASA’s Science group has seen an abrupt turnover in its top leadership. S. Alan Stern, associate administrator for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate, announced his resignation on Wednesday. John Mather, the directorate’s chief scientist, is also reported to be heading back to his full-time position on the James Webb Space Telescope program.
“Alan has rendered invaluable service to NASA as the Principal Investigator for the Pluto/New Horizons mission, as a member of the NASA Advisory Council, and as the associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate,” Administrator Mike Griffin said in a statement. “While I deeply regret his decision to leave NASA, I understand his reasons for doing so, and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”
Continue reading ‘Stern Out, Weiler in at NASA Science Directorate; Mather Will Reportedly Leave’