July 16, 2015
Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden: Thank you, Dr. Tu and so good to be with you, Dr. Newman, especially out here. I see you in Washington, but this is a lot more fun. As Deputy Secretary, I get to do a lot of kind of cool stuff as you might imagine mainly with farmers and ranchers, with our nutrition programs, our rural development programs, I've been out West all week. I was in Oregon doing a roundtable with women in agriculture, was on a hops farm, I'd never done that, I don't know you - anybody else have, but it was kind of cool for me for (inaudible) peanut farmers to be able to participate and see that. I was in L.A. yesterday doing an urban agricultural roundtable with a great group of women who are really trying to help feed people in a very congested urban environment, but I don't think anything's going to top this. This is just great. I'm very excited about the relationship with NASA, it's not a new one and I think a lot of folks don't realize that, I don't think I did, frankly, until I came to USDA, the long term relationship that our agencies have had working together on research.
Food brings people together, food research brings people together. Nutrition is so critical and when you stop to think about it, everyone's got to eat, whether they're in space or not, they're going to need nutrition. And our fundamental, basic research that can be used by NASA is a long term, lasting relationship. So this is - our relationship's not new, I want to make sure the hill staffers know that, but what we're doing today is taking it to the next level.
We had an MOU that expired a couple years ago and the work continued but we really wanted both of our agencies and the heads of our agencies, wanted to make sure that we-we codify, that we bring attention to and really in exploring some ways the potential of the things our two agencies can do together.
I was just in a little hold room a few minutes ago looking at a hyperwall, a small hyperwall, and I asked Dr. Tu what I was looking at and he said "Mars" and I was - the first thought that had gone through my mind was that it was a part of California (laughter) because it was so dry, unfortunately. I mean that was just - thinking about the conditions that we may have if we don't get answers to some of our problems dealing with soil moisture and drought and things that you're dealing with here at NASA already in different parts of the galaxy and how we take that information, we take that research, maybe can apply it to some of the tough issues that our farmers and ranchers and citizens are facing. Right now it's on the West coast, but it can be any part of our country at any time. So, really using the information that we can together, sharing information, there's no reason to duplicate. You have wonderful facilities and data collection that we can build on for our stakeholders but also we have some basic information on food nutrition.
The other element that I think is so significant with this MOU is our young people. How do we get our kids interested in science and help them be excited again as they were just a couple of generations ago about space, about science, about research, about technology? I spend a lot of time with kids, with middle-aged, high school kids trying to get them excited about agriculture and food and food production and at times I go with astronauts to science high schools in the Washington area or around the country, frankly, and to talk about how important, how exciting, how cool science can be whether it's about food or over the other issues that NASA's dealing with. So, I think that this relationship just right-raising it a bit, raising the attention a bit about how USDA and NASA has worked together, how we can work together more closely in the future is what this is about. I'm very excited to be a part of this.
I have not really been a science, kind-of geeky person, I'll be honest with you. And Lilia McFarland, my staff person who works with me, last fall said that I could be invited, if I was interested, in going to the launch of the Orion. And she gave me such a sales job because she was so interested, I learned later, was not just about me, I'm calling her out because I love her dearly, and she-she's the reason I think my initial just excitement and interest. We went to the launch, met many of you there, and never-my life will not be the same. It was-I get emotional thinking about it and remembering seeing the launch. It was delayed the first day, the Secretary said "Stay, you have to see it," I was so excited I got to, had to go to Walmart to buy some clothes but that didn't matter. (Laughter)
We stayed and when that rocket launched, just the pride, as an American, the pride as a taxpayer, the pride, the honor to be there, to witness that, to know that we're-the US is doing that, and the part, maybe a little bit, of ag research at some point along the way has and will make a difference. Now I love it, thanks, Lil, thanks to the great work of NASA. And this relationship is just getting started. We work with Katie Coleman, she's come over to USDA and talked to the women in agriculture, got them excited as well. So I just-I'm, as you can tell, I could just keep talking and I won't, we want to make sure we hear from Dr. Newman, but thank y'all for being here and I'm just so excited the beginning of kind of an enhanced relationship with NASA. Thank you.
(Applause)
NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman: Thank you, it's great to be here with you all. Thank you Deputy Secretary Harden, such a nice joy to meet Krysta at that launch. I thought it was going to be a long Senate confirmation process (laughter). So, I'm thrilled to be here, it's really a pleasure to just be back with friends and colleagues in the agency and this agreement is so special so to come back to the Ames research center to - so thanks for hosting us Director Tu. I did all my PhD research here at Ames, that's my personal secret story, every summer my mentor and friends are in the back there - shout out to Dr. Webb and Dr. Luna - got me through, taught me a lot. Both NASA and USDA are improving life for people around the world that's - that's just what we're about to try to make it just a little bit better in our daily lives. We like to champion the information and access to information - to access the information of this essential data about, you know, the big picture living on life how we can all make it better. We both realize - both agencies realize the importance of improving earth science research, improving enhancing - looking for some breakthrough technologies and data. All the data we are collecting, but that data is no good at all if it doesn't improve people's life. It's kind of a no brainer that we should work closely together and we have, as the Deputy Secretary said, but you know at the heart I am an educator and so that's why this agreement is so special to me - because it does have a S.T.E.M component and I'm thrown in the Arts because I know I need every little boy and girl out there so it's science, technology, engineering, art whatever we want because again, we have our data on all of it whatever sparks their interest so we can get them to study the Earth to think about food and food production; to think about sustainability.
It's really important that we include the painters and the story tellers and the musicians -I know they inspire me and I am kind of a geeky nerd and an aerospace engineer (laughter) so I look for the artists and the storytellers to really tell it a different way because it's a story for everybody. So - I know the Deputy Secretary Harden, you know got to go to see the Kennedy Space Center so you know these center tours and seeing the excitement not just at our centers, but seeing the launch of Orion- that is one big rocket, that Delta 4. I hadn't seen one either and again it was about the data and tests so that we can get our future astronauts further where we are on a journey to Mars, going to Mars, get the proving ground - that's what the current technology does - but back to Earth again, and the synergies and the relationships with USDA.
My favorite experiment on International Space Station was called "Veggie" - I think you got to tour and see Veggie. They're growing little lettuce, but you know there's red there's green really growing lettuce in space - this is called Veggie, we're actually on Veggie 3 and now I guess since we actually have it down the astronauts actually get to eat the veggies in space. So, again thinking about that, how do we take our agriculture you know just the next step, seriously, the next step to station but all of that is just to inform us about again, about life here on Earth and what we can do with the planet. Actually, our tag line for space station is what we're doing off the planet is for the planet. So, that's how we actually describe our International Space Station efforts. NASA is uniquely positioned to use our Earth and space based resources to observe the planet and share that with all of the agencies and work with our partners. So, today is fun - I get to announce the new NASA funded satellite based tools to better detect fires nationwide to predict the fire behavior. So, it's again just imaging - it's really a tool to analyze and try to predict and so that's an operation, I understand, at USDA's Forest Service.
So that's an operation, so that's a great announcement for today. We have NPP satellite to detect the smaller fire details. Again, maybe it's more at the preventative, you know let's look at the detailed things maybe we can prevent and really take care of our forests. So, there's so many overlapping interests to where we could better coordinate, we can work together, you know we're friends we like to work together kind of help each other help each other out. As you said, all of your knowledge, best practices the information you have also - it's a two way street NASA resources but it's also USDA resources coming together and the expertise informing our NASA work force as well and it's all about inspiring our next generation who are going to be the stewards of our planet. I'm not sure how well we have done on the score card, but for sure we want the next generation to be as well informed, as well prepared.
It's really important, you know it's kind of on their watch so that California doesn't look more similar to Mars that we just saw. And again, just on a personal note, I'm a native Montanan so I have the upmost respect for agriculture. You know, I'm from an ag state, big ag state thank goodness we're still pretty wet (laugh) because we have beautiful fly fishing streams and water, but my family actually immigrated through California so that's why it's also so special to come home to the bay area. We actually came - immigrated into San Francisco, but then we weren't city people. We were out in Pleasanton; it was rural California when my family got here in the late 1800s. So, that's the big picture, that's what really is just so important about NASA and USDA working together, sharing data, information, expertise - changing the planet, changing our attitude first and then changing the planet; all of the resources we can on the ground to help to shape a better future. So thank you for coming today and let's get to the signing.