President's Anniversary Message

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (6/19/00) -- The following comments by E.C. "Pete" Aldridge, Jr., president and CEO of The Aerospace Corporation, were published in the company newspaper, Orbiter, on June 7. The article was titled, "40 Years, Thanks to You." Reflections of former presidents follow Aldridge's comments.

My tenure during the 1990s has been a challenging and turbulent time for The Aerospace Corporation and for the entire national-security space community. When I was secretary of the Air Force and director of the NRO [National Reconnaissance Office] in the 1980s, I could not have predicted the profound changes that were to affect our space programs in the decade to come.

We did some good things to prepare ourselves, though. I remember telling the secretary of defense in 1983 that the "shuttle only" policy was not in our long-term interest, and he agreed. Later I sat in the old executive building near the White House with the NASA administrator and worked out the agreement that led to the Titan IV program and the transformation of the Titan II from an ICBM to a space launch vehicle.

After the Challenger accident in 1986, which grounded the program for almost three years, we developed the Delta II program to launch GPS satellites, and the Atlas II program to launch DSCS satellites. We also expanded Titan IV production. These programs have continued to serve us well, and they were programs that Aerospace, SMC [Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center] and the NRO were deeply involved in.

When I came to Aerospace in the early '90s, it was a tumultuous time for the national-security space community. The Soviet Union had collapsed, and the country wanted its peace "dividend." The dramatic reductions in spending that followed challenged all of us to do more with less.

At Aerospace we had to rethink how we could best contribute during these difficult times. This culminated in a proposal to become part of Science Applications International Corporation, SAIC, in 1996. The merger was ultimately rejected in favor of a renewed relationship with our SMC and NRO partners and resulted in the reaffirmation of our mission for national-security space. It was the right decision.

Throughout this period, we helped our partners field some of the most sophisticated space systems ever flown, such as Milstar and a variety of NRO satellites, and began the efforts leading to the SBIRS program. As we look forward to the future of space systems, we see exciting times and challenges ahead, including the EELV, the Space-Based Laser, and the Ballistic Missile Defense programs; a modernized GPS; and new communications satellites.

These new systems will transform national-security space into a global information network, making the benefits of space much more accessible. They will also contribute to an integrated "air and space force."

All of this will occur against the backdrop of a vigorous commercial space industry, a competitive international industry and a challenging national-security environment.

As I reflect on the significance of our corporation and its contributions to advancing space technology, my thoughts turn to you, the people of Aerospace. It is thanks to you that we have accomplished so much in just 40 short years.

The first four decades are only the beginning. I believe they have prepared us well to meet the profoundly exciting challenges that await us in the next decade and beyond.

Former Presidents Reflect

DR. IVAN GETTING, 1960-1977. "We started The Aerospace Corporation in the summer of 1960 to support the Air Force in its quest for a superior intercontinental ballistic missile force. We were also asked to support a few military pioneering space systems and to help get the first U.S. manned satellites launched for NASA. Aerospace and the Air Force successfully launched all 10 Mercury astronauts as well as all Gemini two-man satellites. We also found ourselves deeply immersed in military Metsat and Comsat programs and in numerous classified NRO space programs. The dedication of Aerospace personnel in meeting the country's challenges in space has been outstanding-not only during my 17 years with Aerospace but in the 23 years that followed, to the 40th year anniversary of its founding."

DR. EBERHARDT RECHTIN, 1977-1987. "At the heart of Aerospace [during my tenure] were its extremely good people. We had to have experts in everything. Experts who were not asked to go and do a study, but to give advice. And that's what Aerospace did. We did our own research; we provided our own information. We had a launch once a month for 10 years. A billion dollars on the pad every time. And Aerospace said whether there was or wasn't going to be a launch."

SAM TENNANT, 1987-1991. "As space became an integral part of the Air Force mission, our support spread to Air Force Space Command and to many other elements of the Air Force and Department of Defense. In the early years the technical challenges were daunting, as almost everything was being accomplished for the first time. Roles of the team members were intermingled, and I thought of us as one. As space utilization matured, individual roles became more distinct and defined. Our role became more limited in scope, but more technically demanding in depth."