George Whitesides Named Executive Director of the National Space Society
WASHINGTON, DC – The National Space Society announced today that George
T. Whitesides has been appointed the organization’s Executive Director.
“Whitesides’ background makes him perfectly suited to lead NSS in the
new era of space,” said Gregory H. Allison, Chairman of the Executive
Committee of the Board of Directors. “We’re excited to have him bring
his skills, energy and contacts to NSS.” 20
Whitesides is moving to Washington, D.C. from Los Angeles, where he
founded Permission to Dream, a global space education project, and
co-founded Yuri’s Night, a world celebration of space. He is currently
a director of the Space Generation Foundation, and recently served as
Vice President of Marketing for Zero Gravity Corporation, a private
space tourism company.
“George has the experience and enthusiasm to make things happen,” said
Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 astronaut, former NSS Chairman, and longtime NSS
member. “We are looking forward to the projects he will bring to the
membership.”
Whitesides, a former Fulbright Scholar, is a graduate of Princeton and
Cambridge Universities. He has served on Princeton’s Board of Trustees,
and has been featured on MTV and other networks for his efforts to
engage new audiences with space. He began his career in Washington,
D.C., at Orbital Sciences Corporation and the National Geographic
Society.
“NSS and its members are well positioned to play a key role in the new
era of space,” said Whitesides. “Between space tourism, the NASA
exploration vision, Mars rovers and the X Prize, we are now beginning
the most exciting period of space development since Apollo.”
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The National Space Society (NSS) is an independent, educational,
grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to the creation of a
spacefaring civilization. It supports the exploration, development and
utilization of space for the benefit of mankind. The NSS has more than
22,000 members, and 50 chapters in the United States, Canada, Mexico,
Australia, Germany, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The NSS, founded in
1974, is widely acknowledged as the preeminent citizen’s voice on space.
