NASA remembers former President George H.W. Bush

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As the nation and world mourn the passing of former President George Herbert Walker Bush, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine also expressed his thoughts about President Bush’s impact on the Space Exploration initiative.

"NASA and the nation mourn the passing of President George Herbert Walker Bush, a leader who was a passionate advocate for space and the power of hope,” said Bridenstine in a statement. “The President noted it was humanity's destiny to explore, and America's destiny to lead. We salute this great American leader, who challenged us to chart a course for the future to benefit all humanity."

Birdenstine also lauded the president’s long service to our nation as a congressman, ambassador, director of Central Intelligence, and as an aviator in World War II even before assuming his duties as commander in chief, have left a long and enduring legacy.

Other notable contributions by President Bush to the space program included his vision of “a journey into tomorrow, journey to another planet and a manned mission to Mars.

It‘s ironic that NASA’s Insight Mars lander made a successful landing on the Red Planet on Nov. 26, just about a week before President Bush’s death on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. His vision was to help sustain NASA’s early work on the International Space Station and aid efforts to send humans farther into the solar system for extended periods.

NASA shares the notion it was the President’s will for humanity’s destiny to explore and America’s destiny to lead.

As the 41st President, who died at the age of 94, is remembered during a funeral service at Washington National Cathedral Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2018, NASA salutes “this great American leader, who challenged us to chart a course for the future to benefit all humanity."

NASA planning humans in Low-Earth Orbit spaceflight

NASA is beginning to think about how humans can participate in future space opportunities in Low-Earth Orbit, or LEO.

The National Space Council, along with the Department of State and Commerce, are working reports that examine the challenges of human spaceflight and the potential economic contributions.

NASA and its collaboration interagency partners have four lofty goals in mind that include:

1. To achieve a continuous U.S. presence in LEO – both NASA astronauts and private citizens – in order to support the use of space by U.S. citizens, companies, academia, and international partners and to maintain a permanent American foothold on the nearest part of the space frontier.
2. To create a regulatory environment in LEO that enables American commercial activities to thrive.
3. To conduct human spaceflight research in LEO that will advance the technology and systems required for long-duration spaceflight systems, including systems for interplanetary travel and permanent space habitation.
4. To expand and extend commercial opportunity though international partnerships and engagement.

NASA will be focused on these exploration plans for the coming years as they work toward plans for commercial crews and long-duration human spaceflight systems.

More information can be found here. Let’s start the countdown to launch.