Each May we take time to honor public servants as part of Public Service Recognition Week. The men and women who serve our nation are dedicated to the goal of making government work for all Americans. I am honored to be one small part of the greatest government in the world, working with some of the best and brightest.

NASA employees can be found across the country, creating the next generation spacecraft that will carry people into our solar system, studying the building blocks of the universe, designing satellites to observe our home planet, and researching ways to make our aviation system safer, cleaner and more efficient. NASA employees are also doing things that are out of this world, living and working in orbit on the International Space Station.

Each year, the Partnership for Public Service honors outstanding federal employees who have made a significant difference in the lives of Americans.

I am delighted that one of the finalists for the 2012 Science and Environment Medal is Ron Diftler and NASA’s Robonaut 2 Team. Ron and his team developed the first humanoid robot to fly in space. With human-like hands and the dexterity to perform intricate tasks, R2 will eventually take over operations too dangerous or mundane for astronauts.

Public servants like the Robonaut team work every day to make life better, for astronauts in space and for everyone here on Earth. Thank you for all the work you do.

Earlier today, I was at NASA’s Stennis Space Center to watch a test of Aerojet’s AJ26 Engine E9, which will provide first-stage power for Orbtial Sciences’ Antares rockets on their ISS cargo supply missions. Orbital is preparing for an August test flight under NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Systems program.

A team of NASA, Orbital and Aerojet engineers monitored the hot-fire engine test on the E-1 Test Stand at Stennis. After test data is reviewed and the engine is inspected, it will be shipped to the Wallops Flight Facility launch site in Virginia for installation on the rocket.

NASA is committed to launching from American soil – on spacecraft built by American companies. We’re utilizing the skills of a talented workforce and the facilities – like those at Stennis – that have powered a nation into space for more than 50 years.

Our proposed fiscal year 2013 budget funds this important work and advances our goal of bringing human space launches back to the U.S.

By partnering with multiple companies, NASA will lower the cost of access to space and foster an innovative, American capability to transport supplies and eventually astronauts to low Earth orbit. It makes good sense for our economy and for the space program.

We are on the brink of a milestone moment in NASA space history, part of a long-term strategy that will create good-paying, high-quality jobs here in the United States. Next week, another American space company plans to launch a rocket and space capsule to the International Space Station, becoming the first private-sector firm to ever do so. Working with NASA, several other private American companies are making progress towards providing U.S.-based access to the space station.

Today’s test was the latest example of the progress being made to implement the bi-partisan exploration plan agreed to by the President and Congress – and keep the U.S. the world leader in space.

On Thursday I joined Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and other Administration officials to announce NASA’s participation in a new U.S. Water Partnership as we mark World Water Day.

The U.S. Water Partnership is bringing public and private groups together to search for solutions to the challenges of accessing global water, particularly in the developing world. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence also released a report outlining some of these challenges in the Global Water Security Intelligence Community Assessment.

NASA’s Earth observation research capabilities in space provide a variety of resources, ingenuity and new knowledge to tackle the global water challenge.

The conservation and purification of water is an important byproduct of NASA’s scientific and human space flight missions. Commercial application of the techniques that we have studied will allow for quick and affordable purification of any available water source. This is helping mitigate water shortages and access issues here on Earth. Click here to learn more about NASA’s water purification technology.

For more information about how NASA’s research impacts world efforts to steward water resources, check out this feature.

Last week, NASA received one of the highest grades in government when the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee awarded the agency an A- for its ability to track and respond to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests from the public. Since being signed into law in 1966, FOIA has been an essential part of our nation’s commitment to government transparency. The act allows the public access to non-exempt government documents through submission of written requests. We at NASA work for the U.S. taxpayer, and as the nation’s civilian space agency, it is important that we be as open and available to public inquiries as possible.

When he took office in 2009, President Obama reinforced that commitment by issuing a memorandum to the heads of all government agencies, directing them to “renew their commitment to the principles embodied in FOIA, and to usher in a new era of open Government.” Each year, NASA receives about 1200 FOIA requests from citizens, including students, media outlets and others who are interested in some aspect of our work. We have always made an effort to respond to these requests in a timely and thorough manner. But three years ago, NASA had a huge backlog of FOIA requests. When Administrator Charles Bolden and I assumed leadership of the agency in 2009, we made communicating as openly as possible with the media and public and reducing that backlog one of our top priorities. And we have made outstanding progress.

In 2010, we hired a new Principal Agency FOIA officer, Miriam Brown-Lam. Since then, she and her team of FOIA officers and staff from our Centers across the country, have made significant business and process improvements to make our program more citizen-centric and user-friendly. As a result, we have been able to reduce our backlog of FOIA requests from 110 in 2010 to 34 last year – a reduction of 60 percent. NASA’s FOIA team continues to work to improve timeliness in responding to requests. They are required to undergo annual training to stay abreast of the latest developments, which has shown to be a value-added investment for the Agency. Because of this renewed commitment to service, accountability and excellence, Miriam tells me NASA is on track to have only a 10 percent backlog rate this year – a phenomenal achievement.

I want to congratulate Miriam Brown-Lam and NASA’s entire FOIA team for the A- we received on the House Oversight Committee report card and for their continued efforts to ensure that NASA is one of the most transparent and accountable agencies in government.

March is Women's History Month, and I encourage everyone to celebrate this year's theme "Women's Education ­-- Women's Empowerment" by recognizing the many accomplishments of women at NASA and throughout history.

It's been my pleasure this year as part of NASA's celebrations to kick off a new round of video interviews at http://women.nasa.gov on the popular Women@NASA website. It showcases women from diverse backgrounds with careers at NASA, telling their stories in their own words. Featured women include astronauts, engineers, scientists and administrators. They discuss their accomplishments and offer encouragement to women and girls considering technical careers to become the trailblazers of tomorrow. The website also provides information about NASA internships and career opportunities.

I also was able to participate in an important day-long conversation at George Washington University about the critical role that women play in innovation at NASA, and how we can increase our numbers and impact throughout government and the aerospace industry. I am proud of the fact that NASA is one of the largest federal employers of women in the STEM fields.

However, much work remains to be done.

While the percentage of women in the engineering field at NASA has increased substantially over the past ten years, they still only comprise 20 percent of our engineering workforce and 22 percent of our AST (science and technology) workforce. I am so proud of the outstanding achievements of our workforce, and I commend you on your efforts to promote means by which we can have NASA be as diverse in gender, ethnicity, and background as this great country of ours. A diverse workforce will create a wide variety of ideas, pushing forward innovation and making NASA better than ever. Equal representation of women in the key science, technology, engineering, and math fields will be critical to developing tomorrow's exploration leaders.

One of our top priorities in education is to encourage women and girls to follow STEM career paths, and that's one reason we're so proud NASA is represented on the White House Council for Women and Girls. As part of our involvement with the Council, the Women@NASA website was created as a personal testament to the strength and hard work that so many women have poured into NASA, and to show girls everywhere that women have come from diverse backgrounds and overcome many obstacles to achieve rewarding careers.

As NASA and some other government agencies update their workplace flexibility policies for the 21st century, we will keep women's needs strongly in mind. There is still a long way to go for women to achieve full parity in the workplace, but in the NASA Family, equality, diversity, and innovation are greatly valued and we will continue to make progress.

Please join me in celebrating Women's History Month by uncovering and sharing the stories of the women in your life.

Today I had the pleasure of visiting Rocket City during the rollout of President Obama's FY2013 budget. The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. has had that name for many years, and it's no wonder. The rockets powering Americans to the moon were built and test fired there. The space shuttle Enterprise rattled the center’s dynamic test stand to undergo essential structural tests before the space shuttle’s first flight. And now Marshall will help launch us farther into space than we’ve ever gone before, ushering in the next great era of exploration.

The president has presented a $17.7 billion budget for NASA – which allows for a vital and stable space program across the full spectrum of NASA's work. It is a budget that allows us to reach for new heights, while creating jobs right here on Earth.

Like all of NASA's centers, Marshall is involved in many aspects of NASA’s mission. It manages ISS science operations and technology development projects that will be essential to our next accomplishments in space. The Center designs, develops, integrates, tests, and fields the full range of human and robotic systems for space exploration.

Marshall will play a key role in our efforts to reach deep space, as it is where the Space Launch System, our deep space rocket to carry astronauts and the Orion crew vehicle to destinations like asteroids and Mars, will be designed and tested.

NASA's future is based on innovation, and Marshall will be bringing its expertise to bear on some of the cutting edge challenges of our next missions. Working on things like large, composite cryogenic propellant tanks, technology demonstration missions and management of the Centennial Challenges, which continues to harness the inventiveness and entrepreneurial spirit of scientists and engineers across the globe to help us develop the capabilities we'll need to go farther into the solar system.

So it was an honor to share the day with my colleagues at Marshall and hear from the center's workforce. Every day they're making tomorrow's space program happen. Launching right from Alabama to the stars.

The NASA budget and supporting information are available at:

http://www.nasa.gov/budget

Earlier today, I visited one of NASA’s most successful small business partners, Aurora Flight Sciences in Manassas, Virginia to get an up close and personal look at what can be achieved when government and industry work together to achieve big things, enhance American competitiveness, and create jobs.

Founded in 1989 by John Langford and a small team of aeronautics researchers from MIT, Aurora now employs about 400 people and has become a national leader in the design and manufacture of robotic and other advanced aerospace vehicles for both scientific and military applications.   This company is an example of the entrepreneurial spirit and innovative know-how that is key to ensuring American leadership and prosperity in the global economy of the 21^st century.

Almost from its start, Aurora has partnered with us at NASA on a number of projects involving innovative future aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicle technology and the SPHERES satellite test bed.  During my visit, I was treated to a ground-based demonstration of the company’s new Centaur Optionally Piloted Aircraft, which has the capability of flying either with a human crew or in robotic mode.

All of us at NASA are proud of our role in advancing these technologies and contributing to the growth of this dynamic company.  We are excited by the part Aurora will play as we all work together with the FAA to create America’s Next Generation aeronautics system, the goal of which is to enhance the safety and reliability of air transportation, improve efficiency in the

National Airspace System, and reduce aviation’s impact on our environment. 

Finally, let me say, as the President also pointed out the other night, we must do more to ensure that high-tech companies like Aurora have the right workers with the right skills to maintain their momentum and remain competitive going forward.  Today, growing companies in science and technology have twice as many openings as they have workers who can do the job.  That is why the President has proposed more partnerships between high-tech companies and community colleges to train 2 million Americans for the jobs of today and tomorrow.  And it is why he and NASA are such strong supporters of science, technology, engineering and math – or the STEM disciplines – in our nation’s classrooms.

In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Obama laid out a blueprint for accelerating the nation’s economic recovery.  His vision for what he called, “an America Built to Last,” begins with American manufacturing.  He has proposed a number of incentives to help businesses grow, create jobs and succeed right here in America – especially small businesses that are leading the development of new technologies.

Based on what I saw today at Aurora, the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship that made this country great is alive and well in Manassas, Virginia.