The following is a statement from acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot about Friday's Executive Order creating the National Space Council:

"I am pleased that President Trump has signed an executive order reestablishing the National Space Council. The council existed previously from 1989-1993, and a version of it also existed as the National Aeronautics and Space Council from 1958-1973. As such, the council has guided NASA from our earliest days and can help us achieve the many ambitious milestones we are striving for today.

"This high-level group advises the president and comprises the leaders of government agencies with a stake in space, including the NASA administrator, the Secretaries of State, Commerce, Defense, and others, and will be chaired by Vice President Mike Pence.

"It will help ensure that all aspects of the nation's space power - national security, commerce, international relations, exploration, and science, are coordinated and aligned to best serve the American people. A Users' Advisory Group also will be convened so that the interests of industries and other non-federal entities are represented.

"The establishment of the council is another demonstration of the Trump Administration's deep interest in our work, and a testament to the importance of space exploration to our economy, our nation, and the planet as a whole."

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Pence hails new NASA astronauts as 'best of us'
Miami (AFP) June 7, 2017
Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday hailed 12 new NASA astronauts as "the best of us," after they were selected from a record-breaking pool of more than 18,000 applicants. The seven men and five women who will be part of the US space program as it presses on to Mars and other deep-space destinations in the coming decades include military pilots, emergency physicians and marine biologists. ... read more

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