October 5 marks the first meeting of the National Space Council since 1993. But what is it and why does it matter? Let us explain by taking a trip back in history…
We’ve teleported back to 1958…President Dwight Eisenhower is in office and the National Aeronautics and Space Council was created with the signing of the Space Act that year. President Eisenhower chaired the first National Aeronautics and Space Council (NASC). That council continued during the Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon Administrations during which we put an American in outer space with John Glenn in 1962 and put humans on the moon starting in 1969. That Council was disbanded in 1973.
In 1989, President George H.W. Bush’s Administration reinstated what was known as the National Space Council, which was designed to help chart national space policy and the roles of multiple federal agencies such as NASA. The Space Council disbanded again in 1993.
On June 30, 2017, President Trump signed an executive order reestablishing the National Space Council – which brings us to today. The current National Space Council will bring a unified national perspective on space policy to the Administration by coordinating the views of the civilian, commercial and national security sectors.
So now that you have a bit of the history…why does this matter?
With the Oct. 5 meeting, titled “Leading the Next Frontier: An Event with the National Space Council,” Vice President Mike Pence will convene this council and have participation from acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot, as well as a number of Trump Administration cabinet members and senior officials, and aerospace industry leaders.
During the council’s first meeting, we will hear from experts who represent various parts of the space industry: Civil Space, Commercial Space and National Security Space.
You can watch the first meeting of the National Space Council starting at 10 a.m. EDT HERE.
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий