Comments on: Holdren, handmaidens, and the National Space Council

By: Space Politics » Holdren on shuttle, ISS, space councils, Chinese cooperation

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 01:11:20 +0000

[…] science advisor, in the form of John Holdren, who formally started work last month after a nomination hearing in February. In an interview today with the journal Science, Holdren addressed (among many other things) space […]

By: Space Politics » Will a new space council work?

Space Politics » Will a new space council work? — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 11:58:22 +0000

[…] John Holdren stated in his nomination hearing this month, the Obama Administration is committed to fulfilling a campaign pledge to re-establish the National […]

By: Library: A Round-up of Reading « Res Communis

Library: A Round-up of Reading « Res Communis — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:54:17 +0000

[…] Holdren, handmaidens, and the National Space Council – Space Politics […]

By: Rand Simberg

Rand Simberg — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 06:10:24 +0000

My perception is that Holdren will have at least more access and (potential) impact than Marburger was ever allowed.

Whether that’s a good or bad thing remains to be seen…

By: Dave Huntsman

Dave Huntsman — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 04:20:02 +0000

While he may not have the (greater space) vision that Marburger has – as far as we know, anyway – Marburger was also sidelined and otherwise ineffective. My perception is that Holdren will have at least more access and (potential) impact than Marburger was ever allowed.

By: Paul Spudis

Paul Spudis — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 00:17:39 +0000

The NASA administrator shouldnâ€™t be given a veto

Certainly true in theory. In practice, getting someone to take the administrator’s job has been somewhat less easy than one might imagine. I suspect that many would impose their “conditions” before they took the job.

By: Rand Simberg

Rand Simberg — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 23:31:14 +0000

Neither Sean Oâ€™Keefe nor Mike Griffin thought very highly of the idea; they didnâ€™t want to have someone second-guessing their judgment calls. I suspect any future agency administrator will view it the same way.

The problem is that without one, there’s no place to coordinate overall federal space policy. The NASA administrator shouldn’t be given a veto (or for that matter, even express an opinion that anyone should care about) whether or not there should be one.

By: Paul Spudis

Paul Spudis — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 23:11:56 +0000

Re-establishing the Space Council was a recommendation of the Aldridge Commission as well. Neither Sean O’Keefe nor Mike Griffin thought very highly of the idea; they didn’t want to have someone second-guessing their judgment calls. I suspect any future agency administrator will view it the same way.

By: Rand Simberg

Rand Simberg — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:13:36 +0000

Unfortunately, while reestablishing the Space Council is encouraging (as long as Joe Biden isn’t in charge of it), he doesn’t seem to have the vision for expanding our economic sphere into the solar system that Marburger did.