NASA creates new technology and policy office in leadership reshuffle

WASHINGTON — NASA Headquarters has made a new place of work devoted to technological know-how and coverage concerns, part of a restructuring that involves creating a new house protection situation at the civil room company.

NASA announced Nov. 1 many improvements to its management, generally involving assigning present staff to new positions. The largest adjust is the creation of the Office of Technology, Plan and Technique (OTPS) by merging the Business of Strategic Engagements and Assessments with the Office of the Chief Technologist.

The business will be accountable for furnishing what the company explained in a assertion as “data- and evidence-driven technology, policy, and strategy advice” for NASA management. Bhavya Lal, who served on the Biden administration’s changeover team for NASA and then stayed on as acting chief of personnel and, most a short while ago, senior adviser for budget and finance, will guide the business office as affiliate administrator.

“As we proceed to force the boundaries of exploration, OTPS and these management positions will assure our chopping-edge technological innovation, system, and policy shape our agency’s results,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson mentioned in a statement. “We also are rising our evaluation and advice on geopolitical challenges and pitfalls that NASA, or the house sector, may well be struggling with.”

That amplified examination and assistance consists of developing a new position of affiliate administrator of space stability pursuits. Tom Cremins, earlier associate administrator for strategic engagement and assessments, will just take that situation, overseeing what NASA identified as “a wide safety concentrate on NASA’s civil room efforts within just the bigger national and worldwide environment” as properly as business defense and evaluation initiatives.

“Tom’s new purpose will assistance ensure NASA’s equities are considered in strategic issues and plan discussions. He’ll also supply enter on the agency’s emerging place protection spots of opportunity and concentrate, this kind of as in cislunar place and broader Moon-to-Mars exploration technique and architecture,” Nelson mentioned in the statement.

Other variations include things like building the situation of chief resilience officer, overseeing NASA’s response to the pandemic and implementation of prerequisites relevant to it, as well as the agency’s “Future of Work” hard work for a hybrid workplace. Melanie Saunders, previously deputy associate administrator, will acquire that task.

Casey Swails, previously senior adviser and chief of staff to the associate administrator, will be the deputy affiliate administrator for enterprise operations. In that position she will oversee integration of mission guidance features throughout the company as nicely as be the senior adviser to Associate Administrator Bob Cabana.

Douglas Terrier, who had been NASA’s chief technologist for 5 decades, will go to the Johnson Room Center, the place he will be affiliate director for vision and approach, a new position there. Lal will provide as acting main technologist until finally the company selects a everlasting successor.

The adjustments, which took outcome right away, gained the endorsement of a previous NASA formal. “My enjoyment for the development of the new Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy is only exceeded by my excitement for its leader,” mentioned Mike Gold, former associate administrator for house plan and partnerships at NASA and at the moment govt vice president for civil place and exterior affairs at Redwire.

Lal, he famous, has extensive expertise in space problems from her time at the Science and Technological know-how Plan Institute, analyzing topics ranging from area nuclear energy to minimal Earth orbit commercialization. “Dr. Lal is an unparalleled choice for this situation,” Gold reported. “If Dr. Lal did not literally create the e-book on a subject matter, she at least wrote a report on it.”