The US President signed a presidential order to resume the activities of the National Space Council, which was disbanded by President Bill Clinton in 1993. The council will now be chaired by Vice President Mike Pence, and it will advise the president on outlining his space policy and coordinate the military, civilian and commercial aspects related to space. Will the move really help "make America great again in space", as Trump's election slogan states?
President of the United States Donald Trump Signed on Friday A presidential decree is reserved to revive the National Space Council. The council has not been active for almost 25 years, since 1993, when Bill Clinton was sworn in as president. The council, which was never officially disbanded, is responsible for advising the president in the field of space, and for coordinating the various agencies that deal with the military, civilian and commercial aspects of the American space program.
Trump promised to revive the council during last year's election campaign, and Vice President Mike Pence announced the move Already last March. Similar to the previous times when the council operated, when it was led by the various vice presidents, the renewed council will be headed by Mike Pence.
At the signing ceremony at the White House, Trump said: "Today, we are taking an essential step to safeguard the future of the United States in space, by reviving the National Space Council, after it has been inactive for almost 25 years, if you can believe it."
Trump expressed confidence in his deputy Pence to lead the council: "Our vice president cares a lot about space policy, and for good reason - space exploration is not only essential to our image as a nation, but also to our economy and the security of our great nation."
"Today's announcement sends a clear message to the world that we are restoring the proud American tradition of leadership in space," added Trump.
according to The wording of the presidential decree, the duties of the council will be, among other things, to examine the space policy of the United States and its long-term goals; monitor and coordinate the implementation of the President's space policy; to coordinate between the defense, civil and commercial sectors of the space sector; and advise on international cooperation issues in the field.
The order orders the appointment of a secretary who will be responsible for the day-to-day activities of the council, but neither Trump nor Vice President Pence has announced such an appointment yet. In addition to the vice president, the council will include various senior members of Trump's cabinet and administration, including the secretary of defense, the secretary of state, the national security adviser, the NASA administrator and the president's science adviser.
Of the council members mentioned above, Trump has yet to appoint an administrator for NASA, and it is now headed by an acting interim, civilian official Robert Lightfoot. Trump has also not yet appointed an advisor for science issues, who was also responsible for the civil aspect of the space sector in recent administrations.
The vice president, lawmakers who lead congressional committees that deal with space, and four astronauts, including Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, were present at the order signing ceremony. Senior officials in the space industry were also present, including the CEOs of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, and the CEO of United Launch Alliance, a space launch company that is owned by the two giant companies.
Those who stood out by their absence from the ceremony were sector representativesThe new space", companies that have emerged in recent years with revolutionary ideas in the field of space. SpaceX, for example, which was successful Develop a multipurpose launcher and significantly lowered the cost of its development, began to compete At United Launch Alliance, it has until now had a monopoly on launching military satellites for the United States. It is interesting to note that the founder and CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk, announced last month, following Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, for his retirement from the Council of Senior CEOs who advise the President in the fields of economy and industry.
Will the Council be able to maintain the leading position of the United States in space?
At a time when the United States depends on Russia to send astronauts to the space station (although it is developing commercial spacecraft which are expected to start operating in the next two years), and countries like China are challenging For its position as a leading space power, will Trump's move really help to positively promote the American space program? To answer the question, we will first need to briefly review the history of the council.
The National Space Council was first established in 1958, together with NASA. The president at the time, Dwight Eisenhower, did not attach much importance to it. His successor, John F. Kennedy, placed his Vice President Lyndon Johnson at her head, thus giving her a higher status in his administration. President Richard Nixon disbanded the council in 1973, but it was reinstated in 1989, under the administration of President George W. Bush. Bill Clinton stopped the Council's activities for reasons of budget savings, but it was never officially disbanded, but simply not staffed and its civilian functions were transferred to the Office of the President's Science Adviser. President Obama promised to renew its activities during his 2008 election campaign, but in the end he did not fulfill this promise.
During the periods in which it operated, was it indeed significant in outlining the American space policy? The answer to this is probably negative. in historical analysis of Professor John Longstone, researcher and space historian, he notes, for example, thatThe important decision of John F. Kennedy in 1961 to send a man to the moon, was influenced mainly by a report prepared by NASA, and not by the activities of the National Space Council.
Longstone also points to various deficiencies and bureaucratic struggles in the council's functioning in the various administrations. For example, during the time of President George W. Bush, there was a bureaucratic struggle between the Secretary of the Council and the then NASA Administrator, Richard Trudy, which led to Bush Sr.'s decision to remove Trudy from the Council.
At the same time, Professor Longstone points out that the Council will gain influence and importance if Mike Pence shows interest and leadership in its activities. In the case of Pence, some believe that His power in the Trump administration is very great, the renewal of the Council may have a great advantage. It also seems that Pence is very interested in space - he recently spoke at a NASA conference where he presented The new group of astronauts of the agency, and this Thursday he is expected to visit the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Link to the presidential order to re-establish the National Space Council
See more on the subject on the science website:
- The sword of cuts in Trump's budget proposal will not significantly harm NASA
- Trump signed a law that increases NASA's budget for 2017
Watch the ceremony of signing the order:
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And what are the names?
A question for Elisef how many astronauts are currently on the International Space Station just don't delete the question because I just wanted to know
In my opinion, the caption under the photo should be corrected, the astronaut Buzz Aldrin is standing to the left of Trump and not to his right.