Hello! On behalf of Deputy Lori Garver and me,
I want to wish the entire NASA family a happy,
safe, and blessed holiday season.
As we approach a new year,
we have much for which to be proud
and thankful in 2012.
Each of you has had a role in our many successes.
I want to thank you for your continued dedication
to NASA and for all of your efforts that are
keeping America the leader in space exploration.
NASA achieved historic milestones this year, including
landing the most sophisticated rover
on the surface of Mars, returning space station
resupply missions to U.S. soil and
continuing to advance the systems needed
to send humans deeper into space --
beyond the moon, to an asteroid, and on to Mars.
Because of you – our talented and dedicated work force –
we are able to keep the United States
the world leader in space exploration
and continue to implement America's bipartisan space plan.
Our first successful completion of a commercial
resupply mission to the International Space Station
in October marked a new chapter in our partnership
with industry as NASA focuses on destinations
farther in our solar system.
We also announced new agreements with
three American companies to design and develop
the next generation of U.S. human
spaceflight capabilities, enabling a launch
of astronauts from U.S. soil in the next five years.
We gave the space shuttle orbiters their final moments
in the sky as they moved to new homes
where they will inspire a new generation
of explorers even as we build on their legacy
to achieve more in space.
Throughout all this, we continued to make advances
toward the capabilities and missions of tomorrow.
More than 200 experiments were conducted
on the International Space Station this year alone
as we celebrated 12 years of continuous human habitation
and worked to make the most of this unique orbiting
laboratory that is helping us reach toward new destinations.
The many other milestones of this year
continue to define the spirit of innovation and
accomplishment that has always been NASA's signature.
Florida welcomed the arrival of the first
space-bound Orion spacecraft.
We successfully demonstrated IRVE,
an inflatable reentry system that could
help us land on other planets.
We launched NuStar and the Van Allen probes;
celebrated the ongoing success of Landsat and
our fleet of Earth observation satellites;
were amazed by the startling images of the sun
returned by the Solar Dynamics Observatory;
and applauded the work of Aeronautics
to minimize sonic booms and move us toward the aircraft of tomorrow.
There's no way I can cover the full spectrum
of amazing things that the NASA Family accomplished
together on behalf of the nation this year.
But I know the NASA workforce will continue to do
incredible work to make it possible
for us to reach even higher.
Our future is bright because we don't rest on our laurels.
We build on our successes.
We learn from our failures,
and together we create a space program
that leads the world in innovation and inspiration.
All year, I've been saying that we are already
in a new era of exploration and it's true.
I am very proud of all of our accomplishments,
and I am proud of each and every one of you,
THE BEST TEAM IN GOVERNMENT!
Together, we've faced incredible challenges
and we always come out with workable solutions.
You've always enabled NASA to do the big things
that no one but us can accomplish.
I know I can count on all of you to excel again in 2013.
As we go our respective ways this Blessed Holiday Season
to share time with friends and family,
I hope you will take great pride
in this year's accomplishments and share my hope
for a bright future that we will bring about together.
From all us in the A-Suite – HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE!