National Space Society Applauds Nomination of Charles Bolden and Lori Garver to lead NASA

Garver served 9 years as Executive Director of the National Space Society

Washington, DC – Tuesday, May 26, 2009 – The National Space Society (NSS) is pleased to congratulate retired Marine Major General and four-time Space Shuttle Astronaut Charles Bolden on his nomination to the office of NASA Administrator and Lori Garver on her nomination to the office of Deputy Administrator. President Barack Obama announced both nominations on Saturday May 23, 2009.

“This is an exciting time for NASA and the space industry as a whole,” said Mark Hopkins, Senior Vice President of NSS. “NASA is rebuilding its human exploration capabilities and the private sector is making real progress toward commercial access to space. Garver understands the importance of both. Bolden has the hands-on experience necessary to guide NASA into the next phase of its mission. We look forward to interacting with Garver and Bolden as they make decisions about the next steps toward a spacefaring future.”

Designated a naval aviator in May 1970, Charles Bolden flew more than 100 combat missions in South Asia in the early 1970’s. Bolden was selected by NASA as an astronaut in 1980, flying four missions aboard the space shuttles Columbia, Discovery and Atlantis. Over the course of these four space flights, Bolden logged more than 680 hours in orbit, assisted in deploying the Hubble Space Telescope, and commanded the first mission that included a Russian cosmonaut as a mission specialist crewmember. He was selected for induction into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2006.

Bolden left NASA and returned to the operating forces of the U.S. Marine Corps as the Deputy Commandant of Midshipmen at the Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Maryland in June of 1994. Before retiring in 2003, Bolden had attained the rank of Major General and served as the Commanding General, Third Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California. Mr. Bolden retired from the United States Marine Corps on January 1, 2003 after serving 34 and a half years. From April 2003 to December 2004 he was Senior Vice President of TechTrans International, Inc., of Houston, TX. He is currently the CEO of JACKandPANTHER LLC, a small business enterprise providing leadership, military, and aerospace consulting as well as motivational speaking.

Bolden received a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Naval Academy, a Master of Science degree in systems management from the University of Southern California, and is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland.

Most recently, Garver was the President of Capital Space, LLC, and served as Senior Advisor for Space at the Avascent Group, a consulting firm based in Washington, D.C. She was the lead civil space policy advisor for the Obama during the recent 2008 presidential campaign and she helped lead the Agency Review Team for NASA during the transition. From 1998 to 2001, Garver served as NASA Associate Administrator for the Office of Policy and Plans. During this period, Garver also served as a primary spokesperson for NASA. Prior to this appointment, she served as a Senior Policy Analyst for the Office of Policy and Plans, and Special Assistant to the Administrator. Garver was the second Executive Director of the newly formed National Space Society that resulted in the merger between the L-5 Society and the National Space Institute. She served in this role for 9 years until her departure for NASA in 1998.

Garver earned B.A. in Political Science and Economics from Colorado College and an M.S. in Science, Technology, and Public Policy from George Washington University. Garver lives in McLean, Virginia with her husband, David Brandt, and their two children, Wesley and Mitchell.

Share:

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn
admin

admin

Contributors to the NSS Blog are unpaid volunteers. Unless specifically labeled an NSS position or press release, all blog posts represent the views of the author and not of NSS, even if written by an NSS officer.

Leave a Comment

Search
Categories
future 1

Don't Miss a Beat!

Be the first to know when new articles are posted!

Follow Us On Social Media

JOIN THE
GREATEST ADVENTURE

Give The Gift Of Space: Membership For Friends and Family

Book Review

Archives

ISDC 2024:
A NEW SPACE AGE

International Space Development Conference May 23rd-26th, 2024

FEATURED BLOG

Image of Kalpana One space settlement courtesy Bryan Versteeg, spacehabs.com $32,000 in Cash Awards Given for Best Space-Related Business Plans — Deadline March 1, 2024

Category: Nonfiction Reviewed by: John J. Vester Title: Nuclear Rockets: To the Moon and Mars Author: Manfred “Dutch” von Ehrenfried Format: Paperback/Kindle Pages: 270 Publisher:

Partially Successful Flight Reached Space and Demonstrated New “Hot Staging” System The National Space Society congratulates SpaceX on the second test of its Starship/Super Heavy

Ad Astra, the NSS quarterly print, digital, and audio magazine, has won a 2023 MARCOM Gold Award. The awards are given yearly for “Excellence in

By Jennifer Muntz, NSS Member Coordinator On October 10th, an inspiring breakfast event took flight at the Center for Space Education at the Kennedy Space

By Grant Henriksen NSS Policy Committee Benefit sharing is a concept that refers to the distribution of benefits derived from the exploration and use of

People residing and working in space, space settlements, or on long-duration space flights will need to produce infrastructures and food to maintain healthy lifestyles. The

Image: Artist’s concept of the Blue Moon lander. Credit: Blue Origin. Second Human Landing System Contract Encourages Competition and Innovation The National Space Society congratulates