Going Beyond
The Space Exploration Initiative and the Challenges of Organizational Change at NASA
By John M. Logsdon
In the wake of the Space Shuttle Challenger accident, and fifteen years since the end of the Apollo program, criticisms of NASA were mounting. To address that criticism, the administration of President George H. W. Bush embarked on an effort to transform NASA, what many perceived to be a stodgy bureaucratic organization in need of revitalization. Led by Vice President Quayle and the staff of the National Space Council, their plans culminated on July 20, 1989, when George H. W. Bush announced the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI). A bold new program of human space exploration, SEI went far beyond NASA’s shuttle missions and space station plans of the time.
In this account, John Logsdon describes the steps George H. W. Bush’s administration took to try to reform NASA, the conflicts that arose, and the lasting impacts.
NASA SP-2024-4558
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