Two well-known Alabamians have been added to the National Space Council Users' Advisory Group. Gov. Kay Ivey and well-known Huntsville author Homer Hickam were placed on the 29-member board Tuesday.
Made up entirely of non-federal government representatives, the advisory group will support and advise the new National Space Council created by President Trump to guide the American space program. Advisory group members aren't paid, but their travel expenses are covered by the government.
The advisory group includes famous members such as astronaut Buzz Aldrin, one of the first two men to walk on the moon; some space industry CEOS; educators, researchers and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
Here is the full list of advisory group members: Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 astronaut;Tory Bruno, president and CEO of United Launch Alliance; Wes Bush, CEO of Northrop Grumman; Dean Cheng, scholar at the Heritage Foundation; Eileen Collins, 4-time shuttle astronaut, first female shuttle commander; Steve Crisafulli, former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives; Mary Lynne Dittmar, president and CEO of The Coalition for Deep Space Exploration;
Adm. Jim Ellis, retired 4-star Admiral, former head of STRATCOM, and member of the Space Foundation Board of Directors; Tim Ellis, CEO of Relativity Space; Gingrich; Marillyn Hewson, CEO of Lockheed Martin Corp.; Hickam, author of the book "Rocket Boys" and former NASA Marshall Spaceflight Center engineer; Gov Kay Ivey
Fred Klipsch, founder and chairman of Hoosiers for Quality Education; Les Lyles, retired 4-star Air Force General and member of the NASA Advisory Council; Pam Melroy, 3-time shuttle astronaut and former deputy director of the Tactical Technology Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency; Dennis Muilenburg, CEO of the Boeing Co.
The National Space Council itself met Wednesday and made what the space press called "modest, and expected, reforms to regulations of commercial space activities." Chaired by Vice President Pence, the council has been re-established to provide direction to America's space programs.