From his new post, NASA Deputy Administrator, Frederick Gregory, has given an "all clear" for agency talent to think bold thoughts again. He is a "been there, done that" kind of guy.
As a NASA astronaut, Gregory logged more than 455 hours in Earth orbit during three space shuttle stints. Turning in his flight suit for Washington, D.C. duties at NASA Headquarters, he served as Associate Administrator for Safety and Mission Assurance, dealing with oversight of all safety issues within the space agency.
From that post, Gregory rose to Associate Administrator for Space Flight.
Last August, the veteran space shuttle commander was appointed NASA Deputy Administrator. It is the first time in more than a decade that the slot has been filled. Gregory is the chief operating officer for the agency and reports directly to NASA Administrator, Sean O'Keefe.
Putting NASA on track to trek outside of low Earth orbit is on Gregory's agenda. "I think we've spent a lot of time in low Earth orbit. I think all of our focus has been that way. I don't see that as the future," he told SPACE.com in an exclusive interview.
Sins and omissions
Working in the upper echelons of NASA, Gregory said that he found an agency that has "isolated itself, as far as the human side, to low Earth orbit." Furthermore, inside and outside review groups have focused their attention to sticking close to the planet. It's time for a different focus, he said.
"My intent is to change the focus," Gregory said. "What I want to do is look at research-driven exploration, exploration-driven, commercially-driven activitiesand given approval, to begin making investment decisions that we have to make now that would allow us to do future things," he said.
Chalking up frequent flyer mileage by heading for new destinations in space won't come easy. It's going to be an "earned" ability.
"We still have to prove ourselves as far as demonstrating a maturity in costing, specifically on the International Space Station," Gregory said. There have been "sins and omissions" in the past, he admitted.
"But for the last five months, we have worked to change NASA from an unlimited budget mentality to an agency that can police itselfthat can make the right systems choices and have the decision process to establish priorities."
ISS flip-flop
Gregory underscored NASA's need to "prove ourselves credible to our international partners."
"We have to demonstrate to them that the partnerships that we have -- the memorandums of agreement and understandings that we have -- are dead serious. This is extremely important," Gregory explained. Additionally, the station's science agenda has been under intense review and is being prioritized, he said.
In the station program, there has been a change of approach from "here's the hardwarethey will come" to "this is the research requirement that we havewhat do we do to accommodate that?," Gregory said.
"So it's a kind of flip-flop. We've got costing. We've got the systems engineering. We've got the research. We've got the international partner activity. The engineering of what is the next logical thing that we should do, not based on pressures from anybody, but the right thing to do," Gregory said.
NASA has made significant improvements, Gregory said, "in its ability to monitor itself, and do the right kinds of things."
Gregory said that NASA likes to stretch. It likes to raise the bar. It likes to improve conditions as opposed to living off its past. "It's imperative for us to provide a capability of giving the next generations something more than what our parents gave us," he said.
NExT up?
But where does NASA go from here?
Years in the making, a new plan is afoot. A product of a NASA Exploration Team (NExT), the internal strategy envisions a foothold for humans and robots established at the Earth-Moon Lagrange point, L1 -- a literal Gateway to the future of space exploration. From there, back to the Moon and onward to asteroids, Mars and beyond.
Gregory was briefed on the NExT blueprint. And what does the NASA second-in-command think of the plan?
"I think the answer to that is primarily in my nature: I never see anything wrong with anything," Gregory said. "I first saw it in December. I looked at it. I asked those that worked on it about any gaps, and what do we have to do to achieve it."
A new "space architect", yet to be announced, will delve into details, Gregory said. That is, looking at requirements and what NASA capabilities do and don't exist, and any investments that are needed. Also, the ability of the space station to become a technology demonstration site for future goals is to be explored, he added.
"That's basically where I'm coming from," Gregory concluded. "I'm just a simple guy that kind of looks out and says: 'Okay. We've been here long enough. Where are we going to go next?'"
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