Garver was a former deputy administrator of NASA.
Garver said in her book that senior industry and government officials took pleasure in deriding the company.
The memoir follows the commercialization of the US space industry during Garver's time as NASA's deputy administrator during the Obama administration, highlighting the agency's early interactions with SpaceX and Garver's efforts to make space launches more affordable.
In recent years, NASA has appeared to embrace the commercial space industry, but Garver says it wasn't always this way.
Garver accuses Bill Nelson of trying to rewrite history and "wrap himself in the Commercial Crew flag" after years of fighting against it. NASA would still depend on Russia's Soyuz rocket to send astronauts to the International Space Station if it were up to Nelson.
Nelson took her to task for allowing private companies to propose alternatives to NASA programs.
The intensity of his ire felt personally threatening in one particularly uncomfortable one-on-one meeting. Bill Nelson shouted at me to get my boy Elon in line after he commented on NASA programs.
NASA and Nelson did not reply to a request from Insider.
In her book, Garver describes an environment where self-interest was more important than the program.
"NASA's leaders were usually astronauts and engineers who didn't question the public value or relevance of their activities, indeed, many considered flying themselves and their friends in space to be an entitlement." They assumed that it was their decision to transition what they enjoyed to the private sector.
The space community was opposed to the company early on. Several astronauts in 2010 criticized the commercial space industry.
In 2012 Musk said he was sad to see that. It's difficult because those guys are my heroes.
Her support of commercial space initiatives made her a target. Even though she was second in command, she described the environment as hostile.
Garver said that many who disagreed with his views attacked him with degrading language and threats. I've been called an ugly whore, a motherfuck, and a cunt, and asked if I'm on my period or going through menopause.
Garver praises Musk, Bezos, and Virgin Galactic in her book. She calls them the "space barons"
She wrote that whether we personally like the billionaire space titans as individuals is beside the point. They are following established laws, and instead of investing in space companies, they could be spending all of their money on creature comforts.
Garver had close personal relationships with all three of them. Garver wrote that her discussions with Bezos were similar to talking to a friend. She says that Branson is the most charismatic of the group and that he makes space tourism attractive.
Garver praises Musk and Spacex because they are leaps and bounds ahead of other space ventures.
I wouldn't have been able to pull off a transformation at NASA without him and his company. She wrote that they bled for the same cause and had the same enemies. Both of us needed the other to succeed.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
