William H. Gerstenmaier, Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC, is the recipient of the National Space Society’s 2017 Space Pioneer Award in the Non-Legislative Government Service category.
This award recognizes Mr. Gerstenmaier’s service as Associate Administrator as well as his dynamic career with NASA, which spans 40 years!
The award will be presented on Saturday, May 27, 2017 at the National Space Society’s 2017 International Space Development Conference® (isdc.nss.org/2017). This will be the 36th ISDC® and will be held in St Louis, Missouri, at the Union Station Hotel. The conference is open to the public and will run from May 25-29, 2017.
About William Gerstenmaier:
The National Space Society presents this award to outstanding individuals like Mr. Gerstemaier who share our vision to advance humanity’s presence in space. Throughout his career and for many years under his management, Mr. Gerstenmaier has overseen the development and maintenance of the International Space Station – a blueprint for global cooperation off the Earth. Mr. Gerstenmaier’s indelible contributions to space station operations are helping to facilitate the growth of a robust commercial market in low-Earth orbit (LEO) for scientific research, technology development, and human and cargo transportation.
As commercial space companies build on NASA and its partners’ many achievements in LEO, the agency’s human exploration efforts are focused on an ambitious journey to send humans beyond the Moon and farther into space than we have ever traveled. NASA’s Space Launch System rocket, Orion crewed spacecraft, the commercial crew program, and a revitalized space launch complex in Florida were all managed under Mr. Gerstenmaier’s vision and leadership. The best of NASA’s human spaceflight program is yet to come, and that is largely thanks to what Mr. Gerstenmaier and the spaceflight team have done to push the boundaries in space for humans.
Before becoming Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations at NASA Headquarters, he has held a series of leadership positions at the agency. These include manager of Space Shuttle Program Integration, head of the Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle Operations Office, Director of Space Shuttle and Space Station Freedom Assembly Operations, Chief of the Projects and Facilities Branch of the Flight Design and Dynamics Division, Shuttle/Mir Program Operations Manager, and International Space Station Office Program Manager. Mr. Gerstenmaier earned a Bachelor of Arts in Aeronautical Engineering from Purdue University in 1977, as well as a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1981 from the University of Toledo.
About the Space Pioneer Award
The Space Pioneer Award consists of a silvery pewter Moon globe cast by the Baker Art Foundry in Placerville, California, from a sculpture originally created by Don Davis, the well-known space and astronomical artist. The globe, as shown at right, which represents multiple space mission destinations and goals, sits freely on a brass support with a wooden base and brass plaque, which are created by the greatly respected Michael Hall’s Studio Foundry of Driftwood, TX. NSS has several different categories under which the award is presented each year, starting in 1988. Some of the recent winners of Space Pioneer Awards include Elon Musk, Ray Bradbury, Robert Bigelow, Apollo Astronaut Russell L. Schweickart, Dr. Michael Griffin, and the Rosetta Mission Team.
