Memo From NASA Advisory Council Chair Schmitt Regarding 3 NAC Resignations

Dear Science Subcommittee Members:

As some of you may have heard, there have been recent changes with regards to the Science Committee of the NASA Advisory Council. This week, the NASA Administrator accepted the resignations of three members of the Science Committee of the Council: Wes Huntress, Charlie Kennel, and Gene Levy. Each of these individuals provided valuable input to the Science Committee and the Council during the time in which they served, and both Mike and I are grateful to them for this service. I will be acting as Chair of the Science Committee until new appointments can be finalized in the near future.

I understand that each of your committees is planning separate meetings in September. These meetings of course will not be impacted by these recent developments and I wish you all the best in your discussions and planning for the Lunar Science Workshop and the evaluation of the science strategy in the draft Lunar Architecture. I look forward to seeing the results of your meetings prior to our next full Council meeting in early October. If possible, your findings and recommendations should be to me by October 6.

Please note that the direction of the Council, the Committees and the Science Subcommittees remains the same- to advise the Administrator on NASA’s programs, policies and plans so that NASA can make the best decisions about future activities under the budgetary and policy guidelines provided by the Congress and the White House.

Please contact me if you have any questions about these recent events, or about general issues related to the Science Committee or the Council.

Jack