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CLEVELAND (Ohio) – Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA's long-time associate director and associate director of exploration and human operations, was a shock to most members of the space flight community. This was clarified at the Glenn Symposium held July 10-12.
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Michael Cole
July 12, 2019
William H. Gerstenmaier, former NASA Associate Administrator for Human Prospecting and Operations. Photo credit: NASA
CLEVELAND (Ohio) – Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA's long-time associate director and associate director of exploration and human operations, was a shock to most members of the space flight community. This was clarified at the Glenn Symposium held July 10-12.
Nevertheless, on July 10, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced in a note to NASA employees that Gerstenmaier was reassigned as special assistant to NASA Assistant Administrator Jim Morhard. Former astronaut Ken Bowersox, who was the MP for Gerstenmaier, was invited to take over as Acting Associate Administrator.
The next day, July 11, Morhard and Bowersox were present at the inaugural symposium of the John Glenn Memorial in Cleveland, Ohio. The event was organized by the American Astronautical Association in collaboration with NASA's Glenn Research Center.
Morhard was the opening speaker of the event, but he did not address the change of leadership in his remarks. Gerstenmaier was to speak later in the morning of the future lunar bridge. Bowersox gave the presentation instead.
Insider Spaceflight had the chance to ask the two directors about the change of leadership.
"Bill Gerstenmaier has been a visionary," Morhard told Spaceflight Insider. "You think of commercial teams, you think of ISS, you think of SLS, you think of Orion, you think of Gateway. He led them all. I mean, he's an amazing man whom we have to thank for what he has done for the country and for NASA in advancing our priorities in science and technology and exploration. So it's not easy, to say the least. "
"But you look at people in his position," continued Morhard, "their normal life span was about three years.Bill was there eleven! So, you know, people are shocked, but the reality is that we have change, there will be constant changes for what we need to do. "
Morhard was asked if there was a change of direction or a new sense of urgency that precipitated the decision.
"You know that there is urgency," he says. "And new eyes are always useful. But again, for a man like Bill, who has been there for eleven years, it's a long time for any position at NASA. Bill did nothing wrong. It's certain. Ken Bowersox played an important role in the commercial space at NASA in the Navy. We have full confidence in him to make this transition. "
Bowersox was always adapting to the news of his new mission.
"All I can tell you is that it took me by surprise too," Bowersox told Spaceflight Insider. "And I'm just thinking of the world of the guy who hired me, Bill Gerstenmaier. And I can tell you story about history, working with him and for him over the years. All I know is that he wants us to keep going and that's what we're going to do. We will act as quickly as possible and believe that the best way to honor our boss, Bill Gerstenmaier, is to move as fast as possible towards the surface of the Moon. "
Bowersox is highly qualified to lead this effort. He is the veteran of five Space Shuttle missions and an extended stay aboard the International Space Station as Commander of the Expedition 6. Bowersox has been Vice President of Astronaut Safety and mission insurance at Spacex from 2009 to 2011. He worked as a consultant to customers in the space industry and served on the NASA Advisory Board before being hired as Assistant Deputy Administrator of NASA. for Human Explorations and Operations.
Another announcement in the Bridenstine memo was the reassignment of Assistant Deputy Administrator, Exploration Systems Development, Bill Hill. Hill will be special advisor to associate director Steve Jurczyk. The former Hill post will be taken over by Tom Whitmeyer.
Gerstenmaier began his NASA career at NASA Glenn (then NASA Lewis Research Center) as an aeronautical engineer working on the space shuttle wind tunnel tests in 1978. Over the years he has held various positions in many ISS program programs in 2002. He became Associate Director of Space Operations in 2005 and Associate Director of Exploration and Human Operations when NASA merged its Exploration and Operations Missions Divisions. in 2011.
Tagged: NASA Glenn Symposium Lead Stories William Gerstenmaier
Michael Cole
Michael Cole is an avid spaceflight enthusiast and author of some 36 educational books on spaceflight and astronomy for Enslow Publishers. He lives in Findlay, Ohio, not far from Neil Armstrong's birthplace, Wapakoneta. His interest in space and his background in journalism and public relations are ideally suited to his research and development activities at NASA's Glenn Research Center and its test center at Plum Brook, both in the north. East of Ohio. Cole contacted SpaceFlight Insider and asked to join SFI as the first member of the organization's "Glenn Team".
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