Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry

Cover page of final report

The Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry was formed jointly by United States President George W. Bush and the United States Congress in 2001.^[1] Its first public meeting was held on November 27, 2001, and its final report was given on November 18, 2002.^[2]

Introduction

An excerpt from the introduction of the Interim Report #2 of the commission:^[3]

"The Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry was established by Section 1092 of the Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2001, Public Law 106-398. It was formed to study the future of the U.S. aerospace industry in the global economy, particularly in relationship to U.S. national security; and to assess the future importance of the domestic aerospace industry for the economic and national security of the United States."

Commissioners

The Commission consisted of 12 members, six of whom were appointed by the President, and six appointed by Congress (three from the House and three from the Senate).

Presidential appointees^[4]

• Buzz Aldrin - former Astronaut
• Ed Bolen - President of General Aviation Manufacturers Association
• John W. Douglass - former Assistant Secretary of the Navy
• Neil deGrasse Tyson - astrophysicist
• Robert Smith Walker - former U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania
• Heidi Wood - Managing Director, Morgan Stanley

Executive Director - Charles H. Huettner

Senate appointees

• John Hamre
• William Schneider, Jr.
• Robert J. Stevens - Chairman, President, and CEO of Lockheed Martin

House appointees

• Tom Buffenbarger - President of the International Association of Machinists
• F. Whitten Peters
• Tillie K. Fowler

Reports

The commission produced three interim reports and a final report.

• Interim report #1^[5] - December 18, 2001
• Interim report #2^[3] - March 20, 2002
• Interim report #3^[6] - June 26, 2002
• Final report^[2] - November 18, 2002

Meetings

The commission held six public meetings to hear testimonies and gain different perspectives. The first meeting was held on November 27, 2001, where the commission heard testimonies from the Administration, Congress, and the Executive Branch. The second meeting was held on February 12, 2002, which consisted of Air Transportation Capacity / Infrastructure discussions, and well as Export Control discussions. The third meeting was held on May 14, 2002, and included discussions on Space, including a testimony from Sean O'Keefe.

The three other public meetings were held on August 22, 2002, September 17, 2002, and October 23, 2002.

See also

• President's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy

References

1. A November 29, 2001 Introduction to the Commission (PDF) - Presentation from Boeing.
2. Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry Final Report - (PDF) A link to the November 18, 2002 final report. URL accessed January 30, 2009.
3. Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry - Interim Report #2 - A March 20, 2002 report. URL accessed September 4, 2006.
4. personnel announcements - August 22, 2001 whitehouse press release naming the presidential appointees for the commission.
5. Letter to President Bush from Robert Walker, chair of the Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry - A December 18, 2001 letter at Spaceref.com. URL accessed September 4, 2006
6. Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry - Interim Report #3 - (PDF) A June 26, 2002 report. URL accessed September 4, 2006.