Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771

ENGINEERING COLLOQUIUM

Monday, April 18, 2005 / 3:30 PM, Building 3 Auditorium

John Logsdon

"NASA in Historical Perspective"

ABSTRACT -- After two tumultuous years following the February 1, 2003 Columbia accident, NASA is still in the process of transforming itself into the organization best able to implement the U.S. civilian space program of the early 21st century, and most particularly "the sustained and affordable human and robotic exploration of the solar system and beyond" that was proposed last year by President Bush as the guiding Vision for that program. This talk will provide both a historical perspective on NASA's current situation and an overview of the agency's current challenges.

SPEAKER -- John M. Logsdon is Director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs, where he is also Professor of Political Science and International Affairs. He holds a B.S. in Physics from Xavier University (1960) and a Ph.D. in Political Science from New York University (1970). Dr. Logsdon's research interests focus on the policy and historical aspects of U.S. and international space activities.
Dr. Logsdon is the author of The Decision to Go to the Moon: Project Apollo and the National Interest and is general editor of the eight-volume series Exploring the Unknown: Selected Documents in the History of the U.S. Civil Space Program. He has written numerous articles and reports on space policy and history. He is frequently consulted by the electronic and print media for his views on space issues.
Dr. Logsdon recently served as a member of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board. He is a former member of the NASA Advisory Council and a current member of the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee of the Department of Transportation. He is a recipient of the NASA Distinguished Public Service and Public Service Medals and a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.