Category: NASA

 

By Kathy Lueders,
Commercial Crew Program Manager

This is an exciting time to become a program manager in NASA’s human spaceflight program. We have already introduced a new way to develop spacecraft for low-Earth orbit with the cargo program.  This is our stone in the overall agency’s stepping stone approach to unprecedented exploration. First, regular trips to the International Space Station aboard privately owned, American-made spacecraft so we can get the most out of the orbiting laboratory and its one-of-a-kind research capabilities, then human excavation of an asteroid in space followed by the boldest mission yet: sending humans to Mars.  The Commercial Crew Program is committed to meeting our part of this critical strategy.

The Commercial Crew Program was created three years ago with two purposes. The first is to invest in a national capability for flying crews to low-Earth orbit.  During the past three years, using the investment NASA has provided, the partners have risen to the challenge and have made tremendous progress toward developing safe, reliable and cost-effective space transportation systems for low-Earth orbit. Later this year, our partners will conduct some of the most dynamic and challenging systems testing yet.

The second purpose, to actually certify and fly missions to the ISS, will be executed with the award of one or more Commercial Crew Transportation Capabilities contracts in August. These contracts will culminate in missions that will fly NASA crew to the ISS.

I am honored and proud of my extremely capable team on both the NASA and industry side. The next three years will go by quickly as our partners test their systems, perform flight demonstrations, finalize certification and conduct flights in 2017. It may feel like 2017 is a long time away, but for the challenge in front of us – developing a privately owned spaceflight system – it is not. In addition, through our partnerships with industry, we are working to provide unique capabilities NASA has not had in 30 years. It will be the first time that a U.S. capability would provide not only transportation to and from, but also the “lifeboat” capability that ensures the crew always has a safe way home.

We are one step in the agency’s strategy. We look forward to placing that stepping stone out there for future generations to travel on.

More information on the lifeboat capability
More on the Commercial Crew Program

NASA TV will feature the NASA Exploration Forum this afternoon beginning at 12:30 p.m. The event will lay out the space agency’s building block approach leading to the human exploration of Mars. Phil McAlister, director of NASA’s Commercial Spaceflight Division, will discuss where private industry advancements fit with the agency’s overall goal. The event runs until 3:05 p.m. You can watch it on NASA TV and streaming at nasa.gov/ntv.

Here’s today’s agenda:

12:30 p.m.- Moderator welcome and opening with video

12:35 – Opening Remarks: NASA Administrator Charles Bolden on agency exploration goals

12:45- Current and future robotic exploration of Mars: John Grunsfeld, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate

1 p.m. – NASA’s Human Path to Mars: William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate

1:15 – Human Exploration Panel: current status and future work on the Path to Mars (10-min. presentations each)

·      The International Space Station: Sam Scimemi, director, International Space Station Division

·      Commercial Space in Low-Earth Orbit: Phil McAlister, director, Commercial Spaceflight Division

·      Orion and SLS: Dan Dumbacher, deputy associate administrator, Exploration Systems Development

·      The Asteroid Redirect Mission: Michele Gates, senior technical advisor, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate

·      An Evolvable Mars Campaign: Jason Crusan, director, Advanced Exploration Systems Division

2:05 – Break for Q&A with audience, social media questions

2:20 – Current and future Technology work: Randy Lillard, program executive for Technology Demonstration Missions, Space Technology Mission Directorate

2:35 – Benefits to Science and Tech communities from these endeavors: David Miller, NASA chief technologist, and Ellen Stofan, NASA chief scientist

2:50 – Closing remarks: Robert Lightfoot, NASA associate administrator

NASA has selected Kathy Lueders as program manager for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP). Lueders has served as acting program manager since October 2013. She will help keep the nation’s space program on course to launch astronauts from American soil by 2017 aboard spacecraft built by American companies.

“This is a particularly critical time for NASA’s human spaceflight endeavors as the Commercial Crew Program enters into contract implementation,” said William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Kathy’s experience and leadership skills developed during the ISS commercial resupply contract activity will be critical to safely and effectively leading commercial crew transportation activities for NASA.” 

Read details here.

Improved manufacturing techniques, simplified control systems and cutting edge computers are some of the advancements industry partners of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program plan to employ to make their missions successful. This week, we’ll show you some of the notable innovations that each of the CCP partners have included in their designs up to this point in their own efforts to make spaceflight safe, reliable and cost-effective. NASA’s role in this is to offer expert advice drawn from 50 years of experience.