Makes First White House-level Call to Space
Station Crew from Center
Vice President Mike Pence offered his
thanks Monday to employees working on NASA’s human spaceflight programs
during a tour of the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville,
Alabama.
The Vice President saw the progress being
made on NASA’s Space Launch
System (SLS), the world’s most powerful deep space rocket, that will send
astronauts on missions around the Moon and ultimately to Mars. He also
visited Marshall’s
Payload Operations Integration Center, where the agency manages all
research aboard the International Space Station.
“Today, I met pioneers who are helping
America travel into the unknown and expand our knowledge for the benefit of
the nation,” said Vice President Pence. “I’m inspired by the people at
Marshall, and NASA as a whole, who are passionate and dedicated to space
exploration. The massive hardware and innovative technologies we are building
will propel us far beyond our home planet and allow America to lead in space
again.”
From Marshall’s science command center,
Vice President Pence called
the NASA astronauts aboard the space station and spoke with Expedition 53
commander Randy Bresnik, and flight engineers Mark Vande Hei and Joe
Acaba. This is the first White House-level call to the International Space
Station from Marshall. He also met with the ground controllers that provide around-the-clock support
of the crew’s scientific activities on the orbiting laboratory, paving the
way for future deep space exploration missions.
“The work underway today at Marshall,
supporting station science and with SLS, is integral to ensuring this
nation’s incredible global leadership in human exploration,” said acting NASA
Administrator Robert Lightfoot. “Vice President Pence now has personally
visited three NASA centers in the last four months, and I deeply appreciate
the Vice President’s strong commitment to our space exploration mission.”
The Vice President toured the SLS engineering
facility where the engine
section of the rocket’s massive core stage is undergoing a major stress
test. The rocket’s four RS-25 engines and the two solid rocket boosters that
attach to the SLS engine section will produce more than 8 million pounds of
thrust to launch the Orion
spacecraft beyond low-Earth orbit. More than 3,000 measurements using sensors
installed on the test section will help ensure the core stage for all SLS
missions can withstand the extreme forces of flight.
“The work we are doing today is paving the
way for a new generation of astronauts to travel farther into space than
humans have ever ventured before,” said Marshall Center Director Todd May,
who hosted the visit. “This next chapter in the story of our national space
program is being written by the men and women of Marshall, who keep us on the
leading edge of spaceflight and truly make this the Rocket City.”
The Vice President concluded his visit with
a tour of U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering
Center for briefs from Army leaders on current missile defense projects and
Army initiatives. Redstone Arsenal, where Marshall is located, is an Army
installation with a workforce of around 41,000 active duty military,
government civilians, and contractors. The arsenal is a federal center of
excellence hosting components of more than 70 government organizations,
including NASA, Department of Defense, Missile Defense Agency, FBI, and
Department of Justice.
For more information about NASA’s missions
and activities, including video and images of Vice President Pence’s tour of
the Marshall Space Flight Center, visit:
|