Sam Keller
Samuel W. Keller
“On December 14, 2014…. Memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 3, 2015”
Associate Administrator for Russian Programs Appointed (1992)
“NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin today announced the appointment of Samuel W. Keller as Associate Administrator for Russian Programs. The new function is being established within the Office of the Administrator and will give focus to the many programs involving NASA and the former Soviet Union.”
Sorry to hear. Sam Keller, along with another NASA veteran Arnie Aldrich, helped open the door to the current LEO landscape by offering NPO Energia a commercial contract to explore use of Soyuz as an emergency return vehicle for space station Freedom. This was about 1991, before NASA’s upper management, including Dan Goldin, was focused on Russia. The commercial approach was both necessary and novel, and Sam was a true gentleman in welcomming my particpation from the Energia side. Later, once higher-ups at NASA and the administration got involved, Sam was pushed aside. He accepted that fate, telling me that “this is how Washington works.” A true public servant who sought to make things better.
I had the pleasure of working with Sam in the 80s when I was at NASA when we had a series of reciprocal visits by Soviet life scientists. It was fun.