NASA has chartered the Exploration Systems Advisory Committee (ESAC). Committee members include leading experts from government, academia and industry who will provide advice and recommendations to NASA’s Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems.

The committee’s input will relate to plans, policies, programs and other matters pertinent to the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate’s responsibilities. The committee will meet quarterly to discuss such topics as technology, requirements, systems integration, and capability development.

Retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Lester L. Lyles will chair the committee. Lyles served as commander of the Air Force Materiel Command. He has extensive experience managing large, high-technology organizations involving aeronautical and astronautical research, development, acquisition and logistics.

Other committee members include:

  • Dr. Kenneth M. Baldwin, Professor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Calif.
  • Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, Missile Defense Analyst, Beverly Hills, Calif.
  • Retired U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Tom Betterton, Aerospace Engineering Consultant, Warrenton, Va.
  • Retired Air Force Col. Larry Graviss, Vice-President of Sverdrup Technology, Inc., Tullahoma, Tenn.
  • Dr. Amy Kronenberg, Program Leader for Radiation Biology at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, Calif.
  • Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Vince Russo, Executive Advisor, Office of the President, University of Dayton, Ohio.
  • Barry Zilin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Practical Innovations, Inc., Woodbridge, Va.

As part of the NASA Advisory Council, the committee operates under the jurisdiction of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). The public is invited to meetings, which are announced 15 days in advance in the Federal Register. The first meeting is May 19-20 at NASA Headquarters, Washington.

The committee’s charter authorizes establishment of subcommittees in areas requiring standing advisory groups and task forces to conduct special studies.

For more information about the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate on the Web, visit:

http://exploration.nasa.gov

For information about NASA and agency programs on the Internet, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov