NASA Press Release 98-187
October 14, 1998

NASA has renamed the Office of Aeronautics and Space Transportation Technology the Office of Aero-Space Technology and reorganized it to better meet the Agency's goals.

In announcing the reorganization, Associate Administrator for Aero-Space Technology Spence M. Armstrong said, "When NASA Administrator Dan Goldin asked me to take this position, he told me there were three objectives that he wanted to see accomplished within the first months of my tenure.

"First, Goldin wanted me to personally be an advocate for the Reusable Launch Vehicle programs to effect a cheaper means of access to space. Secondly, he wanted to see more synergy between the traditional Aeronautics role and the Space Transportation Technology role, which had been added to the office's responsibility as a result of an earlier Headquarters reorganization. Lastly, Goldin wanted to see progress in achieving the ten goals that NASA had established for the office just over a year ago. Specifically, he wanted to see 'road maps' or plans to achieve each goal and asked me to reorganize as necessary to achieve them," said Armstrong.

To accomplish these objectives, Armstrong sought the advice and consultation of the office's executive board which is comprised of the directors of NASA's Ames Research Center, Dryden Flight Research Center, Langley Research Center, Lewis Research Center and Marshall Space Flight Center plus Headquarters' division directors. The board quickly recognized and accepted that the enterprise needed to have a management focus that highlighted achieving its goals rather than the traditional method of overseeing individual programs. They offered two major reorganization recommendations: that a Goals Division be established to measure the progress toward achieving the goals; and also that an Institution Division be formulated so Headquarters would have a more significant role in taking care of institutional problems at the Field Centers such as facilities, infrastructure and employee issues. Another division, the Programs Division, will monitor the office's various programs.

The ten goals that NASA established for the enterprise include eight goals that deal with aviation, one with access to space and another with space transportation. NASA will work closely with the Federal Aviation Administration and other government agencies and industry partners to develop the technology necessary to attain these goals.