Message from NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver

It has been a great privilege to serve as your Deputy Administrator. As I close out this term of service, I want to express my gratitude to the entire NASA family for your efforts and achievements. Together we have undergone a transformation that is already building a more sustainable and beneficial 21st Century space agency. We’ve worked to align NASA with the critical national objectives of economic growth, technology innovation, environmental stewardship, cutting edge science and global leadership.

Throughout my career, I have been honored to serve NASA in several different positions. When I arrived in early November, 2008 as the lead for the Obama transition, we were facing many critical issues as an agency. Transitions are hard, and NASA’s was no exception. Thankfully, there were many of you who reached out to help us understand this amazing institution and worked with us to advance the agency.
We were able to immediately extend Space Shuttle flights for two additional missions in order to gain the knowledge from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and to fully outfit the International Space Station until we would again be transporting cargo and crew with U.S. vehicles from U.S. soil. We created NASA’s growing space technology effort, increased innovation in aeronautics Earth and space science, launched carried out the Mars Science Lab mission, broadened international cooperation and forged new private sector partnerships in areas such as sub-orbital science, hosted payloads, lunar robotics, asteroid detection and space transportation.
These changes have allowed NASA to deliver better science, and more advanced technologies to sustain its global leadership position now and for the future.
Internally, we worked to spearhead critical initiatives in the areas of early career hiring, more productive relationships with our labor unions, diversity and transparency. Our priority for NASA has been to continually deliver cutting edge, cost efficient, successful, relevant missions that will keep the United States at the forefront of aeronautics, environmental monitoring, space science, and exploration.
On Monday, I start my new job as General Manager of the Air Line Pilots Association. As I take on this new challenge of assisting pilots and advancing the nation’s critical aviation industry, I take with me the inspiration and spirit that is embodied in NASA.