WASHINGTON, D.C. – Arthur “Bill” Beckman, Director of NASA Programs at The Boeing Company, and Lon Rains, Communications Director, Space Systems, at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, will be stepping into new leadership roles for the Coalition for Space Exploration’s (Coalition) efforts in 2014. Each will serve a one-year term, effective January through December 2014.
Beckman, Coalition chair, served as the deputy chair for the Coalition in 2013. He is currently the Director for NASA Programs in the Washington, D.C. Operations office for The Boeing Company. Beckman has a strong background in business development, marketing and field operations for various programs within Rocketdyne Power & Propulsion and The Boeing Company. He brings more than 25 years of aerospace experience to the Coalition leadership team.
“Never before in history has there been more development in space exploration than there is now and I’m certain that 2014 will be an incredible year for the space industry and space advocacy,” Beckman said. “The benefits of a robust space program are almost immeasurable. The Coalition will be instrumental in bringing our nation’s space program back to the forefront and I look forward to fostering this dialogue with our nation’s leaders this year.”
Rains, Coalition deputy chair, previously served as Coalition deputy chair in 2011 and chair in 2012. He is the Communications Director for Space Systems at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems in Redondo Beach, Calif. Rains, who joined the company in 2008, is responsible for all communications activities at the company’s Space Systems Division in Redondo Beach, Calif. Prior to joining Northrop Grumman, Rains was a member of the founding staff of Space News and served as editor of the publication for 15 years.
“Strong space advocacy helps America remain the world’s leading space-faring nation and the Coalition is America’s leading advocate for a robust, meaningful program of human and robotic exploration beyond Earth orbit,” Rains said. “I’m extremely proud to again serve in a leadership role with the Coalition and to further help our members reach their goals in promoting a strong and essential space exploration agenda.”
About the Coalition for Space Exploration
The Coalition for Space Exploration is a group of space industry businesses and organizations collaborating to ensure that the United States remains the leader in space, science and technology. Through effective outreach, the Coalition fosters a national conversation about the value and benefits of deep space exploration with the nation’s leaders, NASA, other space-related organizations and the public. Such efforts help build lasting support for a long-term, sustainable, strategic direction for space exploration.
