John Logsdon's World Tour
Editor’s note: A few minutes ago, the NASA Advisory Council began a discussion of international participation in lunar exploration. The NAC’s Executive Secretary walked over to John Logsdon and handed him a note. A few seconds later Logsdon got up and left the room. NAC chair Harrison Schmitt noted that Logsdon needed to leave the room due to a conflict of interest concern with a study he is conducting. Logsdon returned to the room once that discussion was finished. I am not sure what this accomplished since the NAC did not go into executive session – and anyone (i.e. the general public, media, etc.) in the room could hear, record, and write about the discussion.
NASA seeks partners as budgets tighten, New Scientist
“Logsdon is now in the process of travelling to Europe, Russia, Japan and Canada, on NASA’s behalf, to assess which countries are interested in collaborating on such projects.”
Editor’s 1 Feb note: Word has it that NASA Advisory Council member – and former Kerry presidential campaign space advisor – John Logsdon has been tasked (under contract) by Mike Griffin to do a quick study to complement official NASA studies which look at possible international participation in the VSE. Logsdon is currently in Paris and is expected to make a number of stops around the world in connection with this task in the coming weeks.
Proposed Federal Budget to Spare Shuttle Flights, Florida Today
“It is clear that the White House has made a policy decision that we are going to honor our international agreements on ISS, and we are going to continue to fly the shuttle in order to launch the international components,” said John Logsdon, a space policy analyst at George Washington University who served on the Columbia Accident Investigation Board in 2003.”
Editor’s update: Logsdon has told people that he hopes to travel across Europe, to Russia, and then to Japan, as he performs his contracted tasks for NASA. Curiously, although Logsdon is clearly representing NASA, news stories that quote him on space policy issues never seem to mention that fact. If he told reporters I am sure they’d mention it.
What Mike Griffin *Really* Thinks About NRC’s Space Station Report, (earlier post) NASA Watch
“[The Internationals] are annoyed and impatient with our delays since the Vision speech. We need to be, and be seen to be, proactive in seeking their involvement. We need to work with them, not prescribe to them, regarding what we can do together on the Moon. Beyond the Moon is Mars, robots first. Most of the Internationals are at present more interested in Mars, as I hear the gossip. Fine, we can’t tell them what to be interested in. But our road to Mars goes through the Moon, and we should be able to enlist them to join on that path.”
