Episode 194: The Civics of Space Exploration
Space exploration and civics. What do they have in common? The government! NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) receives our tax dollars through Congress and they do a lot with that money! They launched the James Webb Telescope (Webb), which compliments and extends discoveries by the Hubble Telescope, in December of 2021 and the first pictures are in! L. Joy is one of the first people to see the pictures before they were released to the world. To discuss NASA and Webb, L. Joy brings Gregory Robinson and Michelle Jones to the front of the class.
Homework:
Read this overview of what NASA does: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/value-of-nasa/
Check out the Key Facts about the James Webb Telescope: https://webb.nasa.gov/content/about/faqs/facts.html
Look at images from the process and results from the James Webb Telescope https://webb.nasa.gov/content/multimedia/images.html
Read the Fiscal Year 2022 NASA budget request & actuals https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/fy2022_nasa_fact_sheet.pdf
Our Guests:
Gregory Robinson, formerly SMD's Deputy Associate Administrator for Programs, is the new Webb Program Director. As Director, Robinson focuses on increasing integration and testing efficiency and effectiveness, added additional management processes to ensure continuous NASA visibility in contractor activities, and mission success. Robinson previously served as Deputy Center Director at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, as well as NASA's Deputy Chief Engineer from 2005-2013. He also served as the acting National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service Deputy Assistant Administrator at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), where he led the acquisition and management of all NOAA satellite systems. Prior to Robinson's reassignment to NASA Headquarters in 1999, he spent 11 years in various leadership positions at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Michelle Jones currently serves as the Chief of the Office of Communications at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. In her position, Jones is accountable for the leadership and management of a staff of over 60 people in the planning and implementation of a comprehensive communications and public engagement program for NASA Goddard and the agency. This includes strategic communications through the media, multimedia, social media, the web and print; Goddard’s home page (www.nasa.gov/goddard) and Inside Goddard (internal homepage); public engagement events, programs and activities; Goddard Visitor Center management and operations; internal communications; and partnerships with relevant external organizations. The Office of Communications’ work is vital to NASA’s role in inspiring, engaging and educating students, educators and the public.
Prior to her current position, Jones served as assistant branch chief, and prior to that team lead for the Public Engagement area in the Office of Communications. Jones and her team were responsible for leading, developing and managing a variety of engagement activities and initiatives for employees and for the general public. The Public Engagement Team is responsible for internal communications and engagement, guest operations for NASA launches and other public outreach events and activities. Among the team’s recent outreach activities was the community event held in May 2011, Explore@NASA Goddard, which attracted over 10,000 attendees.
Jones is recognized as an advocate, change agent and influential leader for the center’s diversity and inclusion efforts. In addition to being the longest serving Diversity Dialogue Project facilitator, she is also a member of the center’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Over the years, Jones has spearheaded several diversity and inclusion initiatives and a host of employee engagement activities, including the “i am goddard” campaign and the annual Celebrate Goddard event.
Jones is an effective communicator, advisor and negotiator. She is strategically minded and highly effective in facilitation, mediation, networking and team building.
Jones has been a part of NASA Goddard since September of 1991, starting as a student aid in her senior year of high school. She joined the Office of Communications in 1994. Jones has a Bachelor of Arts in communication studies from the University of Maryland University College.
