How Lori Garver Launched NASA’s Commercial Space Partnerships

The state of NASA's human spaceflight programs was not good in 2009. The space shuttle fleet is going to be grounded, leaving Russian Soyuz as the only way to reach the space station. Plans for a replacement for the shuttle had deviated off course and over budget. The glory of the Apollo era and the moon landings of the 1960s seemed far away and the time for big changes had arrived.

As she and Charlie Bolden took the helm of the agency, she thought that was the way it should be. She helped push NASA in a new direction by investing in the commercial space industry and contracting with private companies to reduce the cost of space travel. She played a leading role in bringing about NASA's commercial crew program in 2011, through which the agency has partnerships with private companies to launch astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station. She objected to the development of NASA's own bigger rocket, the Space Launch System, which will have their first flight this summer and cost billions more than planned.

Garver chronicles her experiences at NASA and the private sector in her new book. In the book, she shows how she tried to overcome resistance from many in NASA's bureaucracy, as well as from members of Congress with established space companies in their district.

Garver wanted to change the status quo and aided the rise of new space companies. Both Richard and Musk praise Garver in their books. She left the space agency nine years ago. NASA will never be the same as a result of the commercial crew and cargo programs. The conversation has been edited to make it clearer.

What were your main goals when you worked for NASA?

The main goal was to set the agency on a course for the 21st century, according to Garver. When I was a kid, I thought the space program would have gone farther. I'm 61 years old. I think lowering the cost of space transportation is my number one goal.

While the shuttle program wound down, what was it like at NASA?

There were so many people involved in the end of the shuttle program that it was difficult to stay at NASA. The program had to be flown out safely. At the same time, there was a sadness. I was trying to find a way to keep the US in a leadership position in space.