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Planetary Society Statement on Alan Stern's Resignation from NASA

For Immediate Release
March 26, 2008

Contact
Mat Kaplan
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +1-626-793-5100

The Planetary Society issues the following statement on Alan Stern’s resignation from NASA:

"We are sorry to learn of Alan Stern’s resignation from his position as NASA Associate Administrator for Science. During his tenure, Alan made significant changes that have helped restore the importance of science in NASA’s mission. This was especially true in the 2009 budget proposal, which included two overdue Earth science missions and an outer planets flagship mission. He also worked to un-do the separation that had occurred between science and exploration in previous years, and redirected the Mars program to focus on Mars sample return."

"We appreciated these initiatives and complimented Dr. Stern in our recent congressional statement. At the same time, he was working under extraordinarily difficult budget constraints, dealing with many issues beyond his control. We wish him the best in his future work."

Louis Friedman, Executive Director of The Planetary Society

About The Planetary Society

The Planetary Society is the world's largest and most influential space interest organization. Founded in 1980 by astronomer Carl Sagan with Bruce Murray and Louis Friedman of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit is led today by CEO Jenn Vaughn and championed by Chief Ambassador Bill Nye. Members and donors fund programs in science and technology, public outreach, and advocacy. This work advances the exploration of space, the search for life beyond Earth, and the defense of our planet from dangerous asteroids and comets. Learn more at planetary.org.

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