NASA Administrator Charles Bolden fashions new organization to guide NASA's future. Photo Credit/NASA photo
NASA on Friday created the Human Exploration and Operations Directorate, a single Washington-led organization that combines the agency’s former exploration and space operations directorates.
The space agency previously announced its intention to merge the organizations once the shuttle program, which was under the former space operations directorate, retired. The program logged its 135th and final flight in July.
Bill Gerstenmaier, a NASA veteran who served as the associate administrator for space operations, will lead the new organization.
“America is opening a bold new chapter in human space exploration,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. “By combining the resources of Space Operations and Exploration Systems, and creating the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, we are recommitting ourselves to American leadership in space for years to come.”
NASA's new Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate will oversee development of the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, right, among other development activities. Image Credit/NASA image.
The new organization will oversee the NASA-led International Space Station as well as the development of the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, also known as Orion, and the Space Launch System, a new heavy lift rocket currently in the planning stages.
The MPCV and SLS are intended to launch future astronauts to destinations beyond the space station, including near Earth asteroids and eventually to Mars.
The new directorate will also manage NASA’s commercial crew and cargo developmental programs, which are to shoulder the space station re-supply and crew transportation activities previously assigned to the shuttle.
Based on NASA’s 2011 budget figures, the new organization is responsible for nearly half of the agency’s current $18.7 billion spending plan.