By Thomas H. Evans
One of West Virginia’s perpetual challenges has been to diversify its economy. Economic expansion of significant measure, and in underdeveloped sectors, requires a foundational approach through innovative partnerships.
West Virginia was presented with a unique opportunity to support a leadership position in a highly innovative field. States that do this successfully are able to attract growing companies, create quality jobs and feed a virtuous cycle that repays the initial investment many times over.
The West Virginia Robotic Technology Center (WVRTC) represents such an effort. Through the WVRTC, West Virginia created a program that partners with NASA to solve some of our space program’s most difficult engineering problems.
Our primary technical objective is to support NASA to pioneer and prove the capability to robotically refuel and repair satellites in orbit. Successfully completing this feat, and extending the capability to the commercial and defense sectors, will save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars by lengthening the lives of expensive satellite systems, and provide defense security to the newly contested arena of space.
Although we work with a number of industry partners, our relationship with NASA is essential to the WVRTC’s success and development. In turn, NASA needs strong and steady leadership as we take our next steps as a nation in deep space exploration, and to ensure that partnerships enabling such missions continue in ways that are mutually beneficial to both parties.
NASA is within a period of transformation and has been without a presidentially appointed administrator for well over a year — the longest time without a confirmed leader in the agency’s history.
In September, Rep. Jim Bridenstine, R-Okla., was nominated to serve as the next administrator; however, his confirmation vote languished in the U.S. Senate for nearly eight months. A cloture motion was filed to bring the decision to the Senate, which resulted in a 50-49 party-line vote to confirm NASA’s new leader.
Bridenstine has unique experience as a Naval aviator who piloted the E2-C Hawkeye in Afghanistan and Iraq, and additionally the F-18 as an instructor in the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center. His leadership has been vetted through tenuous coordination and command of battlefields from the overarching view of airborne systems, to an engaging and knowledgeable member of the House Space Subcommittee while in Congress.
In several conversations I have had with administrator Briden-stine since the president’s nomination, he shared his vision for NASA and the list of objectives to ensure the United States remains as the world’s leader in space exploration and scientific discovery.
As part of his Senate confirmation hearing, Bridenstine was questioned about the WVRTC and its role to support NASA. He responded that the type of robotics work and research that WVRTC performs will be critical to several NASA missions, and that he plans to continue developing these technologies throughout his tenure.
He has continued to demonstrate that he recognizes the value of the WVRTC’s capability and our continued contribution to NASA’s missions and exploration objectives.
As a West Virginian, and advocate for economic growth in our state, I remain committed to directing the WVRTC on a path to increase our footprint in the technical sector and create new career opportunities in scientific and technical fields. The WVRTC extends our congratulations to administrator Bridenstine, and we look forward to advancing NASA’s missions under his leadership.
Thomas H. Evans is director of the West Virginia Robotic Technology Center. He received his Ph.D in mechanical engineering from WVU and is a native of Monongah. This commentary should be considered another point of view and not necessarily the opinion or editorial policy of The Dominion Post.
