Mars Society UK News Release

Contact : Bo Maxwell, President, Mars Society UK

Date : For immediate Release, 15th April, 2005

Phone : 0709 280 5915

Mars Society Welcomes NASA Administrator

Mars Society Chapters from across Europe today joined together in congratulating Dr. Mike Griffin on his confirmation on April 14th as the new Administrator of the American space agency, NASA.

Dr. Griffin, a former NASA Associate Administrator, is highly regarded in both US government circles and in the US commercial space sector, and is a known advocate of space and planetary exploration. As such, his appointment helps to reconfirm a commitment by the White House to President Bush's Vision for the human exploration of the Moon and Mars.

Commenting on the appointment, Bo Maxwell of the Mars Society UK, speaking on behalf of the Mars Society in Europe said, "We in the Mars Society warmly congratulate Dr. Griffin on his appointment as NASA Administrator. Over the last two decades Dr. Griffin has given his unstinting and pragmatic support for the human exploration of space, and particularly of Mars. His support of proposals such as our own ‘Mars Direct’ mission plan has been instrumental in helping revolutionise the way in which NASA engineers and scientists develop mission plans, and we in the Mars Society have been proud of his association with us since the formation of the Society in 1998. As such, we firmly believe he is very much the right choice to lead the space agency in a new era of exploration."

Formerly the head of the Space Department at the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), Dr. Griffin has also worked for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, as well as a range of commercial enterprises such as Orbital Sciences Corporation and Computer Sciences Corporation. In the early 1990s, he also served as the agency’s Associate Administrator for Space Exploration, advocating human missions to the Moon and Mars. His mix of public service and corporate management experience brings a new dynamic to NASA which is regarded as highly beneficial among politicians, the aerospace industry and space advocacy groups.

Even so, Dr. Griffin takes over NASA at a critical time: in May 2005, the space shuttle is due to return to flight status following the tragic loss of the shuttle Columbia in February 2003. A successful return to operations is viewed as an essential requirement for NASA's immediate plans in space. Beyond that, he must also balance America's long-term ambitions in space with her obligations to oversee the completion of the International Space Station. In this, Dr. Griffin's appointment might be seen as controversial by some outside of the United States; he recently added his voice to others in suggesting the space shuttle be retired from service earlier than the proposed date of 2010, possibly compromising the US in its ability to fully support its international partners in the space station project.

"America does have international obligations it must see through if it is to continue to enjoy high levels of international support and cooperation that will be vital to the success of initiatives such as the Moon-Mars vision," Mr. Maxwell said. "As such, we believe that Dr. Griffin will not be swayed by 'bottom line' financial politics when considering issues such as the retirement of the space shuttle. Rather, he will continue to work openly and positively with America's international partners and seek to encourage deeper cooperation through programmes such as the Moon-Mars initiative. As such, we in the Mars Society look forward to continued good relations with NASA in sharing research and ideas."

Dr. Griffin replaces Sean O'Keefe as NASA Administrator. Mr. O'Keefe resigned in December 2004, citing personal needs after leading the agency through a period of transitional change and the aftermath of the space shuttle Columbia tragedy. He left the agency in February 2005, with Deputy Administrator and former astronaut Frederick Gregory taking over management of the agency pending the appointment of a new Administrator.

Notes for Editors

The Mars Society is a worldwide organisation active in over 40 countries around the world, with many of its members actively engaged in space research and development. The goal of the Society is the human exploration of Mars, and to support this the Society undertakes a wide range of research activities, including the operation of a series of Mars Analogue Research Stations in which teams of scientists and engineers perform real-world field studies into living and working in Mars-type environments. The most recent of these stations will be operated by the Mars Society in Europe, and is to be located in Iceland. The Mars Society is also responsible for the Mars Direct mission proposal which revolutionised world-wide thinking in to how human Mars missions could be undertaken.

 

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