Houston: it's got the "Rice" Stuff.

Welcome back, or thanks for tuning in for the first time. Over the next eight weeks, I plan to share with y'all a bit about my experience at the International Space University's (ISU) 36th annual Space Studies Program (SSP) hosted by Rice University in Space City. Since I've always wanted to write something, I imagine I'll sprinkle in some stories, observations, and lessons learned after ten years in the space industry.

Houston’s transformation to “Space City” began in 1961 when it was named the site of the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center, now known as Johnson Space Center. Perhaps more famously, President John F. Kennedy gave his "We Choose to go to the Moon " speech on September 12, 1962 at Rice University's stadium. I have been thinking a lot about this speech for two reasons. First, I walk by the stadium each morning on my way to our Core Lecture Series review sessions. Second, I finally heard the other parts of the ~17-minute-long speech for the first time.

Part of this speech is about committing resources to hard tasks worth pursuing: up to 4% of the federal budget during the peak of the Apollo era and a domestic workforce almost 500,000 people strong. President Kennedy called for bold action. He said, "Houston will become the heart of a large scientific and engineering community. During the next five years, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration expects to double the number of scientists and engineers in this area, to increase its outlays for salaries and expenses to $60 million a year; to invest some $200 million in plant and laboratory facilities; and to direct or contract for new space efforts over $1 billion from this center [Johnson Space Center] in this city [Houston]."

We see the ripple effects of that bold act from over sixty years ago. Today, over 500 aerospace companies call Houston home. They help generate single-digit billions of dollars per year in economic activity in this area. Astronauts, rocket launch vehicles, and space shuttles prevail as motifs in art, names of businesses, menu items, and public parks. Of course, the linchpins tying this space community together are NASA Johnson Space Center and Rice University. It is no wonder that Houston is the first city to host ISU SSP more than once (if you exclude ISU's main campus in Strasbourg from the count) in 36 years, and that the ISU faculty and staff are excited to be back in Space City 27 years later.

We can find and be a part of bold action almost anywhere. Between 2014 and 2021, I lived in Van Horn in west Texas, and I was elected to the local school board. In this capacity, I was privileged to have the opportunity to help construct a cradle-to-career pipeline for high school students near Blue Origin’s West Texas Launch and Test Site.

Incorporated in December 2018, the Van Horn Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was founded to serve Culberson County-Allamoore Independent School District (CCAISD) students. Its mission is to provide 100% financial support to CCAISD students who desire to pursue an associate’s degree or technical certification during their high school career. The Foundation operates independently of the district, and its board is made up of a cross-section of Van Horn business and community leaders who are committed to serving CCAISD students.

Along with the other school board members, we obtained agreements from companies looking to move into the county that would fund 75% of the $10 million endowment goal by 2035. The hope for this endowment is that it will serve as the funding source for the degrees and certifications for all CCAISD students in perpetuity. This long-term thinking will make the Foundation successful in effecting change in Van Horn School students’ futures and changing the economic trajectory of the small, rural community I once called home. Each time I return to visit, I am humbled to see the evidence of the ripple effects from those bold acts on behalf of the CCAISD team for the students in the community.