Back To The Future Yet Again – ESMD Is Back As ESDMD

NASA Leadership Positions Agency for Future, 21 September 2021
“NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced Tuesday the agency is creating two new mission directorates that will best position the agency for the next 20 years. The move separates the agency’s current Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate into the new Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) and Space Operations Mission Directorate. NASA is making the changes because of increasing space operations in low-Earth orbit and development programs well underway for deep space exploration, including Artemis missions.”
NASA Creates Human Exploration And Operations Directorate, 12 August 2011
“NASA has announced the creation of the Human Exploration and Operations (HEO) Mission Directorate. The new organization, which combines the Space Operations and Exploration Systems mission directorates, will focus on International Space Station operations and human exploration beyond low Earth orbit.”
NASA Announces New Headquarters Management Alignment, 15 January 2004
“Retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Craig E. Steidle is the new Associate Administrator, Office of Exploration Systems. Since retiring from the Navy in March, 2000, he has been an independent aerospace consultant.”
Keith’s note: Back to the Future: during Vision For Space Exploration in 2003/2004 NASA split human exploration into 2 directorates. Then they changed it back in 2001. Now they are changing it again. NASA wants you to think that this is “progress” when in fact it is simply changing their phone book – again.