Glen P. Wilson
1923-2005
Executive Director Emeritus of the National Space Society
and Former Member of the Board of Governors
Glen Wilson had more than 44 years of experience in Washington and was been continuously involved in the Nation’s space program since it’s inception in 1957.
A Native Texan, Glen Wilson received his BS in Aeronautical Engineering in 1943, MA in Psychology in 1948, and his Ph.D. in Psychology in 1952 from the University of Texas.
He was assistant to Senator Lyndon Johnson from 1955-57 and staff for the Senate Special Committee on Space and Aeronautics from 1957-1959. This is the committee that wrote the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 and created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. From 1959-1977 he was Chief Clerk of the Senate Committee on Aeronautics and Space Science. This committee played a crucial role in supporting NASA’s Apollo program and post-Apollo Space Shuttle development.
In 1978, he became a member of the senior executive service at NASA, where he developed the Shuttle Student Involvement Program (SSIP) for the agency. This innovative program was designed to increase students’ interest in mathematics and science by encouraging them to compete by proposing experiments to fly on the Space Shuttle.
In 1982 he established the Marie D. and Glen P. Wilson Foundation which provided financial support for the Space Educator Award, awarded annually by the National Space Club, to an outstanding high school teacher who has had a national winner in the SSIP program.
From 1984 to 1988, Mr. Wilson was Executive Director of the National Space Society. He continued to serve on the NSS Board of Directors and then on the NSS Board of Governors until his death in January, 2005.
