San Diego Space Society

George Whitesides Added To NASA Transition Team

Posted by Chris Radcliff in News on November 25, 2008

Today, Space.com reported that NSS Executive Director George Whitesides was appointed to Barack Obama’s NASA transition team:

U.S President-elect Barack Obama has added a Virgin Galactic adviser and two more former NASA officials to the team leading the transition at the U.S. space agency.

The selection of Alan Ladwig, NASA’s associate administrator for policy and plans under U.S. President Bill Clinton; Ed Heffernan, then-NASA Administrator Dan Goldin’s chief of staff; and George Whitesides, executive director of the National Space Society and senior adviser to Virgin Galactic; brings the number of NASA transition team members to five.

George joins a team headed by Lori Garver, a former NSS Executive Director herself. The Society will be well-represented, and hopefully both public and private space concerns will be brought to the table when talking about NASA’s role going forward.

SD Space members got a chance to meet George in September, when he attended the AIAA conference in San Diego. We chatted for a while about topics ranging from the Space Ambassadors program to starfaring dinosaurs at Stout Public House downtown. We congratulate George on his appointment and wish him luck.