National Space Club and Foundation Announces Winner of 2019 Goddard Trophy: Robert Lightfoot Jr.
The National Space Club and Foundation is pleased to
announce that Robert M. Lightfoot, Jr. has won the 2019 Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy
in recognition of his exceptional service to this country and its space program. The trophy is the
Club’s highest honor and is presented annually to the team or individual who has provided
leadership in groundbreaking space and aeronautics capability for the United States of America.
The award will be presented at the 62nd Annual Robert H. Goddard Memorial Dinner, taking place
at the Washington Hilton Hotel on Friday, March 22, 2019.
Following an impressive career spanning 30 years at NASA, Lightfoot retired last April after having
served as the Acting Administrator for 15 months, the longest tenure for an acting administrator
in the agency’s history. Lightfoot joined NASA in 1989 and served as a test engineer, program
manager, Marshall Space Flight Center Director, and went on to lead the agency under two
presidential administrations. He is currently the president of LSINC Corporation in Huntsville, AL.
Lightfoot led NASA at a critical time in the history of space – a time with more significant
development activity than NASA has seen since Apollo. While Acting Administrator, he retained
his permanent Chief Operating Officer role as NASA’s Associate Administrator, the agency’s
highest-ranking civil service position. In this capacity, he was responsible for the agency’s dayto-day activities and the reporting of senior personnel. In addition, he led seamless engagement
between the agency and the White House in setting up the first National Space Council in 25
years, and in the development of Space Policy Directive-1 outlining a Moon-to-Mars focus.
In his last public remarks before leaving NASA, he imparted some final guidance to the community
on managing risk and increasing decision velocity by sharing the following: “My charge to each
of you as I depart is ‘strive every day to be a risk leader.’ This amazing endeavor will never be
without risk, however, remember the benefit – we will change the world.”
Robert Lightfoot will accept the Goddard Trophy at the 62nd Annual Robert H. Goddard Memorial
Dinner. Individuals and organizations interested in attending may find more information on our
website www.spaceclub.org. For specific questions, please contact NSCF at info@spaceclub.org
or by calling 202-547-0060.
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The National Space Club and Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization devoted to fostering
excellence in space activity through interaction between industry and government, and through a
continuing program of educational support. Youth Education is a premier focus of the Club,
providing over $160,000 in scholarships and internships each year. Awards are offered to
recognize the advancement of space technology, and recognize and honor people who have
contributed significantly to the fields of rocketry and astronautics.
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