‘Surprised’ Marshall director opens Von Braun Space Exploration Symposium

Just a couple weeks ago, Stephen Cash was living life as a retiree from the Marshall Space Flight Center.

Then, last Monday, it all changed when he was named director of the NASA center.

“Some of y’all may be as surprised as I am to be here,” he said Tuesday at the opening of the 26th Von Braun Space Exploration Symposium. “I am humbled to be here.”

Cash, a veteran NASA engineer and aerospace executive, returned to lead the center where he began his career more than four decades ago. 

“This is a job I’d do for free,” he said. “I appreciate being back at Marshall and with you guys today. What I love about Marshall is we’re truly a family.”

This year’s symposium, “Accelerating Exploration,” is focused on humanity’s return to the moon, sustainable lunar infrastructure, advanced space propulsion, and the evolving space workforce.

Panels include discussions on Artemis II and III, space propulsion flash talks, building utilities and infrastructure for sustainable lunar operations, moon base supply chain resilience, space nuclear technology, navigating the new NASA workforce, and engineering the future, featuring keynotes and awards presentations.

“We are at a pivotal time in space exploration,” said Ron Birk, president of the American Astronautical Society. “We need to continue to look forward.”

Birk said there is a “slate of eight” priorities for the space program including commercial space, space traffic management, human space experience and space nuclear power and propulsion.

Organized by the American Astronautical Society in collaboration with the Marshall Space Flight Center, the annual event gathers leaders from government, industry, policy, and academia to discuss the current landscape of space exploration and help chart a path forward. 

The symposium, which ends Wednesday, is hosted on the University of Alabama in Huntsville campus and UAH President Donald Leo said the school is the perfect setting for such an event.

“UAH was founded to move the nation’s space mission forward,” he said. “We’ve always been a bridge from government and academia to the space industry.”

In his first public appearance since being named Marshall director, Cash said NASA is undergoing a change as it prepares to return to the moon and beyond.

“We’re making NASA more agile,” he said. “We’ve been doing the same thing for a long time and we need to be doing it differently.”

Citing the symposium’s title, Cash said accelerating exploration depends on strong partnerships among government, academia and industry.

And he plans to be involved in the process.

“I want to be a part of this (returning to the moon),” Cash said. “That’s one of the reasons I came back.

“I’ve been in this business 46 years; it’s all about partnerships. If anyone wants to talk, my office is always open.”