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Augustine Panel

By catdynamics on May 28, 2009.

NASA is due to name the 10 panel members of the Augustine panel on human spaceflight and NASA goals, possibly today.
The Orlando Sentinel thinks it knows who most of the members are.

The Write Stuff blog at the Orlando Sentinel names 8 names they claim to know will be on the panel.

  • Chris Chyba (astrobio/policy - Princeton)
  • Sally Ride (astronaut UC)
  • Lester Lyles (USAF ex-general - NASA advisory cmt)
  • Edward Crawley - (MIT engineer - earth obs.)
  • Bo Bejmuk (Boeing/Sea Launch)
  • Jeff Greason (Rotary/XCOR)
  • Wanda Austin (CEO Aerospace Corps)

Wow.
I'm glad to see Bejmuk and Greason on the list.
Should provide an interesting perspective.
Suggests to me that the White House has some new Space Cadets among the staffers.

Be interesting to see if the list holds and who the others are.

I'd expect at least one from the Big Iron Aerospace companies, like a Lockmart person.
Be good if there was one planetary science or large space science type to address such issues in the context also.
That's what I'd do anyway...

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I'd expect at least one from the Big Iron Aerospace companies, like a Lockmart person.

Does Boeing not meet that description?

I would expect an APL type to end up on the panel. They have their fingers in a lot of NASA pots, especially ones that involve space flight hardware.

By Eric Lund (not verified) on 28 May 2009 #permalink

Well, Boeing is one of the main Constellation contractors, but to pick someone from Sea Launch suggests an active desire to get some outside perspective.
L-Mart is the Orion contractor, IIRC, and I'd think they'd have to be there to provide input - if they're not that would say something to me.

Other glaring omission is someone from Space Science with perspective on manned servicing/role of manned spaceflight in LEO and further out for science tasks, especially given the recent Hubble success.
Actually if I were Augustine I'd pick Grunsfeld, but they may have to get all non-NASA people.

Lori Garver (NASA Deputy Director) is surely a space Cadet. She was executive director of the National Space Society a decade ago (descendent partly from L5 society).