“Pioneer the future”

Goldin’s replacement as NASA Administrator was the former Deputy Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget Sean O’Keefe. On taking up his new post on December 21, 2001, O’Keefe stated that he intended to adhere to the rec­ommendations of the Young Committee on how to bring the ISS budget back under control. The report had suggested that NASA be placed on probation until ISS reached “Core Complete’’, with a three-person crew performing both maintenance and science. O’Keefe had said that, if NASA brought the ISS budget under control, then consideration might be given to going beyond “Core Complete’’, such as reinstating an American Habitation Module and the X-38 CRV. He stated that the question of crew size was vital to the programme. The new Administrator was blunt and warned, “If NASA fails to meet the standards, then an end-state beyond ‘Core Complete’ is not an option.’’

O’Keefe also stated that he would ensure that ISS did not dominate NASA’s programmes ‘‘at the expense of everything else this organisation does.’’ The new Administrator said that he believed the civil and military sectors should increase their co-operation on space programmes, especially on the development of any future Shuttle replacement.

In the weeks that followed, the management of ESA demanded a meeting with O’Keefe. The Europeans were unhappy at NASA’s unilateral decision not to con­struct and launch the Habitation Module and the X-38 CRV, thereby restricting the ISS crew to three people and severely limiting the amount of scientific research that could be performed on the station. The Europeans considered that all of the ISS partners, including America, had signed legal documents that committed America to constructing and launching a Habitation Module and thereby supporting an Expedition crew of up to seven people. However, NASA and the American govern­ment now considered that their commitment ended when Node-2 was launched, thereby allowing the European and Japanese Science modules to be launched and docked to ISS. Ultimately, NASA negotiated with ESA to have Node-3, which was being constructed in Italy, reinstated and outfitted with additional sleeping quarters and life support equipment.

At 14:00, April 12, 2002, while STS-110 was docked to ISS, O’Keefe made a public address at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, during which he voiced his vision of the future of NASA under his leadership. In his speech he described NASA’s mandate as:

to pioneer the future, to push the envelope, to do what has never been done before.’’

He called it, “An amazing charter indeed,’’ and continued, “Our greatest asset in fulfilling this demanding charter is the excellence of our people.’’

O’Keefe stated NASA’s mandate under his charge in three simple terms.

• To improve life here.

• To extend life to there.

• To find life beyond.

He expanded each of these three goals, but his vision for NASA was summed up by the headings that he gave to those expansions.

• To understand and protect our home planet.

• To explore the Universe and search for life.

• To inspire the next generation of explorers… as only NASA can.

The Young Report would become a major planning tool by which NASA’s future involvement in the ISS programme would be ruled.