Physicist, Aerospace Engineer Congratulated By Key Lawmakers

Picked Friday by President Bush to lead NASA, 55-year old Michael Griffin is as different from his predecessor as night and day. Whereas Sean O'Keefe came from a financial and agency management background, Griffin has a background in academics, with strong science pedigrees in physics and aerospace engineering.

But the job Griffin faces is all too familiar to the likes of O'Keefe: One of his first priorities will be to spar with Congress on funding issues, oversee the shuttles' return to flight and plan for America's return to the moon.

Griffin's appointment, subject to Senate approval (no problem anticipated there) is to be announced in Washington on Monday. One of the first tasks Dr. Griffin will face upon confirmation is trying to wrangle from Congress all of the money NASA requested for 2006.

"It is going to be a challenge because we are trying to make sure we are putting the (NASA) dollars in the places where they can do the most good," Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), head of the Senate's Science, Technology and Space subcommittee, told the Houston Chronicle. But like other Capitol Hill leaders, she was enthusiastic in the wording of her congratulations to the Johns Hopkins University graduate over the weekend. "He is uniquely qualified" to lead the funding effort, she said.

But while Griffin in particular and NASA in general have the spoken backing of Congressional leaders, the real question is whether the president's vision of "Moon, Mars and Beyond" does.

"Congress has never endorsed, in fact, has never discussed the Vision," House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) told NASA administrators during a budget hearing in February. He was quoted by the Chronicle. "I don't think NASA should be our top budget priority either in this committee or the Congress."

Griffin's counter? "A really robust space effort could be had for a mere 20 cents per day from each person! I spend more than that on chewing gum. We as a nation quite literally spend more on pizza than we do on space exploration," he testified before Congress in October, 2003. "As wealthy as the United States may be, it is certainly true that we can allocate only a very small fraction of that wealth to the development of human space flight. But we must allocate that fraction, and we must spend it wisely. I don't think we are doing enough of either."

The NSS Chimes In

These comments came over the weekend from the National Space Society...

"Dr. Griffin is a superb choice to lead NASA at this critical moment. Dr. Griffin's extensive space experience and bold leadership style will create a powerful driver for implementation of the vision for space exploration."

"Mike is well known for combining a deep passion for space with a rigorous commitment to no-nonsense management. That is exactly what NASA needs now."

"The National Space Society looks forward to supporting Dr. Griffin as he tackles the challenges of the coming years. NASA has a wonderful and inspiring mission before it, and Dr. Griffin is the right captain for this ship."

Griffin's Bio

Griffin has been less than two years on the job at Johns Hopkins University, where he led the school's Space Department. Here's the bio posted on the university web site:

Griffin oversees the second-largest department at the Laboratory, with more than 600 specialists tackling some of NASA's and the military's toughest space science and engineering challenges. His tenure begins as the Lab embarks on several ambitious projects, including a "fire and ice" tandem of robotic spacecraft to explore Mercury and Pluto – the planets closest to and farthest from the sun – and unprecedented studies of solar activity and the sun-Earth relationship.

Griffin succeeded Dr. Stamatios M. (Tom) Krimigis, head of the Space Department since 1991. His experience includes a previous stop at APL in the 1980s, when he helped design the successful Delta 180 series of missile-defense technology satellites for the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization. After leaving APL in 1986, he served as the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization's deputy for technology, and as both the chief engineer and associate administrator for exploration at NASA Headquarters.

Before rejoining APL in April, 2004, Griffin was president and chief operating officer of In-Q-Tel, a private, non-profit enterprise funded by the Central Intelligence Agency to identify and invest in companies developing cutting-edge technologies that serve national security interests. Griffin's resume also includes several leadership roles at Orbital Sciences Corporation and key technical positions at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Computer Sciences Corporation.

"Mike Griffin is an accomplished leader, well known and well respected in the aerospace community," says APL Director Dr. Richard T. Roca. "He is a dedicated professional whose enthusiasm for our critical work remained strong even while he was distinguishing himself as a senior government executive and a leader in private industry. We are very happy to have him back to provide leadership for our civilian and military space initiatives."

A resident of Reston, VA, Griffin was named president of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in 2004. He was also a member of the American Astronautical Society and International Academy of Astronautics. In addition to a doctorate in aerospace engineering, he holds master's degrees in aerospace science, electrical engineering, applied physics, civil engineering and business administration, and a bachelor's degree in physics.

FMI: www.nasa.gov