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June 2008
NASA Associate Administrator Named Director of Space Policy Institute
By Julia Parmley As a physics major and history student in the late 1970s, Scott Pace was interested in “how things really worked.” NASA’s Apollo space programs in the 1960s, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s Moon landing in 1969, the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, and the work of science fiction writer Robert Heinlein all fueled Pace’s passion for space and inspired him to pursue a career in science and technology policy. In September, Pace will become the director of the Space Policy Institute in the Center for International Science and Technology Policy at GW’s Elliott School of International Affairs and a professor of the practice of international affairs. Pace says he hopes to continue the institute’s role “as a leading research center and training ground in space policy. “I hope to use space issues to illuminate broader issues in technology policy, innovation, program management, and international affairs so that people outside the traditional space communities see the strategic value of space activities,” explains Pace. “I would like to create deeper cooperative ties with other universities and businesses interested in space and do more technical work in support of policy analyses.” The Space Policy Institute was established by the University in 1987 to meet a growing need for an independent and informed source of space policy expertise. The institute conducts research, promotes dialogue, and supports graduate education on policy issues related to U.S. space efforts and cooperative and competitive interactions in space. Pace succeeds John Logsdon, who has led the institute for 21 years. In September, Logsdon will begin a year-long appointment as the Charles A. Lindbergh Chair of Aerospace History at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Pace credits Logsdon with fostering his interest in the Space Policy Institute. “Logsdon has been instrumental in creating the academic field of space policy, and I’ve spoken to his classes over the years,” he says. “GW has an outstanding school of international affairs and its location in the middle of Washington is an immensely important asset. I’ve also been impressed by the quality of students at GW and those drawn to the Space Policy Institute.” Pace joins GW from NASA, where he is the associate administrator for program analysis and evaluation. Previously, Pace was the chief technologist for space communications at NASA’s Office of Space Communications and served as the deputy chief of staff to former NASA administrator Sean O’Keefe. He also was assistant director for space and aeronautics in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and worked for the RAND Corporation’s Science and Technology Policy Institute, a federally funded research and development center for the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Pace received a bachelor’s degree from Harvey Mudd College in 1980, master’s degrees in aeronautics and astronautics and in technology and policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1982, and a doctorate in policy analysis from the Frederick S. Pardee RAND Graduate School in 1989. Pace says his involvement creating a new internal governance process for NASA, including a “Planning-Programming-Budgeting-Execution” or PPBE system that provides a structure for resource decisions, has been the most rewarding part of his experience at the agency. “I realize that this can sound very bureaucratic compared to the cool things NASA does, but in an environment of limited resources and many demands on those resources, having a logical, transparent process for managing conflict and making decisions is incredibly important,” he says. Pace also worked with the U.S. Global Positioning System and was involved in debates with the International Telecommunications Union and the Federal Communications Commission on spectrum management for space systems, issues that he says “have involved some very interesting combinations of technical analysis, policy, and politics.” At GW, Pace also will teach a course on U.S. space policy for graduate students and hopes to explore the relationships between space technology, policy, law and regulation, as well as seminar courses concerning specific issues in space exploration, national security, and space commerce. “I enjoyed teaching aerospace engineering lab courses when I was at MIT, and speaking to space policy classes at GW over the years,” he says. “Being a full-time professor is a first for me so I expect to have lots to learn. Educating students in how the world of space policy and management works is one of the most important contributions I can imagine making to space development.”
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