The State of NASA & Getting That Old Exploration Mojo Back
2015-02-02 Kennedy Space Center FL. Highlighting NASA’s accomplishments over the past year and vision for the coming years, NASA Administrator, Charlie Bolden gave a “State of NASA” presentation to gathered KSC employees, industry partners, press, and social media in Kennedy’s Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building on Monday, February 2nd. With Boeing’s CST-100, the recently flown Orion capsule and the SpaceX Dragon capsule (the first commercial vehicle to dock with the ISS) in the background, Bolden spoke for 30-minutes on how the agency intends to invest in aerospace technologies to improve commercial air travel, continued orbital research to address global/environmental concerns and continue to work toward manned-missions beyond low-earth orbit to Mars and work with asteroids.
The event was broadcast on NASA-TV and shared with additional press and social media at NASA Space Centers across the nation. I was honored to have been chosen to participate in this event as part of the group of 50 social media personnel at KSC. Just under two-months ago I witnessed the launch of the Orion capsule and felt the sense of excitement and vision that reminded me of the sense of purpose from the old Apollo days. It isn’t that the agency has given any less than 100-percent for all missions, manned and unmanned, since the Apollo era. But the message is that it’s time that we reach out beyond Earth orbit and make decisive steps into our next chapter of space exploration, not for political/national pride, but because it’s important and good for all of humankind.
Socializing Before the Presentation
2015-02-02 State of NASA Event – Socializing before the presentation
Selfie before getting my NASA social badge
NASA Social day-pass
10AM – VAB & Countdown Clock panorama
10AM – Countdown clock & flagpole panorama
10AM – Satellite array behind the press building
10:30AM – NASA News Center
10:50AM – NASA News Center CBS, Reuters & Orlando Sentinel
11AM – Social Media friends, Jessika, Chris & Katrina near the Countdown Clock
11AM – Social Media friends, Jessika, Chris & Katrina near the Countdown Clock
11AM – Social Media friends, Jessika, Chris & Katrina near the Countdown Clock
11AM – in the NASA News Center panorama
11:30AM – NASA Social guide, Chris
12:30PM – Bob Jacobs, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator, Communications
State of NASA with Charlie Bolden coming at 1:30PM
12:30PM – Bomb-sniffing dog checks out my camera bag before we board our buses to the event
2015-02-02 State-of-NASA Event News Center (occopital) panorama
State of NASA Presentation
2015-02-02 State of NASA Event – Presentation
1PM – Press and social media waiting for the arrival of Bob Cabana & Charlie Bolden
2PM – Bob Jacobs, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator, Communications, addressing Press & Social media folks
2PM – Bob Cabana, director NASA Kennedy Space Center, arrives
2PM – Charlie Bolden, NASA Administrator, arrives
2:12PM – Bob Cabana, director NASA Kennedy Space Center, addresses the press and social media folks
2:16PM – Charlie Bolden, NASA Administrator, sharing NASA’s progress and plans
1:40PM – NASA Administrator, Charlie Bolden, in front of the Orion & Dragon capsules
2:30PM – Charlie Bolden, NASA Administrator, bullish on NASA accomplishments and plans
2:30PM – Local press writing notes on Bolden’s presentation
2:48PM – Bolden & Cabana conduct Q&A with press and social media
2:49PM – Bolden & Cabana Q&A with press and social media
3PM – Katrian Lomidze & Jessika Hallett at the podium in front of the Orion capsule
3PM – Standing in front of the Orion (left) and Dragon (right) capsules
3PM – Social media get close look at the Dragon capsule
3:09PM – Social media doing a stand-up in front of the Dragon capsule
1:40PM – Orion capsule after its maiden unmanned mission
1:44PM – Dragon capsule, the first commercial vehicle to dock and return from the ISS
3PM – Standing in front of the Orion (left) and Dragon (right) capsules
Three times I have toured the inside of the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building), where they stacked the Apollo/Saturn V rockets in the 60s & 70s and more recently prepped the Space Shuttle systems before launch. On a tour in the summer of 2012 I got a chance to see the Space Shuttle Atlantis up close before it was moved to its exhibition building. It is such a huge structure, taking a tour never gets old.
VAB Tour
10:50AM – NASA “meatball” logo & VAB
3:10PM – Just inside the VAB with the highbays on the left and right
3:10PM – Looking straight up just inside the VAB
3:10PM – Looking out one of the VAB doors at the Mobile Launcher for the SLS
3:15PM – Mobile Launcher for the SLS panorama
3:30PM – Changes to the VAB for the SLS vehicle is explained
3:53PM – Conversations inside the VAB
3:51PM – Neil Berger, Dept. Project Manager for the VAB (left) in conversation
