When Trump went to visit the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Texas on Aug. 28, the main event was supposed to be the celebration of the astronauts of Artemis II and the awarding of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor for their lunar flyby. But the ceremony ended with another major announcement. Trump signed an executive order to start the process of creating a U.S. Space Academy.
The proposed national academy would combine the principles of engineering and science with military education to train future Space Force personnel, NASA engineers, and other spaceflight experts. The goal of the Space Academy would be to serve the U.S. Space Force and NASA, as well as train for the private space industry. The executive order launches a project to be led by defense and government officials, as well as Jared Isaacman, the 15th NASA administrator. This team will present ideas and a framework, including a physical location and requirements, within the 120 days following the announcement. In the meantime, Space Force personnel will be commissioned through the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.
Still, the announcement itself is significant. As NASA prepares for future lunar missions and the commercial space continues to expand, a new generation of people capable of building and working on space systems will be necessary.
In Orbit 