Ferris Valyn takes a closer look at the Obama NASA transition team, delving into the backgrounds and experience of leaders Lori Garver and Roderic Young and their support cast of Edward Heffernan, George Whitesides, and Alan Ladwig. He also looks at the space views of some of the other officials in the next administration. Valyn writes:
“It is worth noting that while many people within the transition team are former NASA employees, much more interesting, and important, is that many are proponents of Cheap and reliable Access To Space (CATS), a majority are members of the CATS coalition, and some are proponents of NewSpace, or work for NewSpace companies. Could this be a foretelling of the direction of Obama’s Space Policy? I would like to think so.”
Below are biographies for President-Elect Barack Obama’s NASA Transition Team.
Lori Garver is currently the President of Capital Space, LLC. For the past 25 years, Garver has been a leader in the aerospace community, working in senior roles in the non-profit, government and commercial sectors, including serving as executive director of the National Space Society and as a Vice President of DFI International. In addition, Garver previously served as NASA’s Associate Administrator of Policy.
Continue reading ‘Meet the NASA Transition Team’
Although much money has been invested in start-up commercial space companies, the industry has yet to attract the mainstream venture capitalists who fueled the development of computers and the Internet, Investor’s Business Daily reports.
However, experts believe that the time isn’t too far off when venture capitalists will put serious money into the field.
“The investment community has very much a herd mentality, and what we need is a Netscape event,” said X-Prize founder Peter Diamandis, referring to the Internet pioneer’s initial public offering. “Until then, (this industry) will rely on private benefactors who are very passionate about space.”
National Space Society Executive Director George Whitesides, who also is a consultant for Virgin Galactic, agreed. “We’re at a dynamic moment in space history. We have a handful of very credible players who very soon will start launching things and people into space,” he said.
A couple of brief items on the who’s going to space front:
An anonymous Auckland man who won a $5.2 million lottery prize plans to pluck down $200,000 for a suborbital Virgin Galactic flight, the Waikato Times reports. He was on a bike ride when he stopped for a drink and bought the winning lottery ticket on a whim.
“People have always told me that you can’t win these big prizes - but now I’m the lucky bugger this week”, he told the paper. “I also want to look at travelling in real style - by booking a trip into space. It would be great to one of the first Kiwis to make that trip.”
Meanwhile, Babylon 5 star Bruce Boxleitner says the price would have to come down first before he books a Virgin flight, PR-insider reports.
“I wish they’d hurry it along and make it cheaper. I’d love to do it, but it’s like $200,000 per person,” he said. “We should get a Screen Actors Guild ride going! I have a feeling it’ll be the Scream Actors Guild.”
Boxleitner is on the Board of Directors of the National Space Society, a non-profit space advocacy group with close ties to the British tourism company. The society’s Executive Director, George Whitesides, also works for Virgin Galactic; he and his wife Loretta will honeymoon aboard one of the suborbital flights. However, this apparently isn’t helping Boxleitner get a discount.
