POLITICO Pro Q&A: Dan Dumbacher, executive director of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics
“It is really easy to think about the two separately,” said Dumbacher, a former deputy associate administrator of NASA and engineering professor at Purdue University. “There is an interface there that’s coming and that we need to be ready for as launch rates start to increase. When we talk about building a low-Earth orbit space economy, and we start talking about more and more commercial development and commercial utilization of low-Earth orbit, [addressing] the space debris and space traffic management problems is essential for success. “
This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
You place a big focus on advocating for research and development. Where do you see the priorities?
I would say there are three top level pillars that we use for a policy advocacy perspective
Making sure that we get the investments in R&D, particularly advocating for the investments in the aerospace research and development in what’s going to be a challenging budget. And those investments cover everything from hypersonics to space debris, space traffic management, to how do we help get the research needed to get Space Force up and implemented?
On the aeronautics, the research needed to address the carbon emissions and sustainability issues that are there from a long-term, looking ahead perspective — the absolute necessity of addressing the carbon emissions problem.
The third one is really focused on workforce development and enhancement and making sure that the workforce is available not just today and tomorrow, but also for the long haul. And that includes the diversity and inclusion aspect as well. We think of it at AIAA as the career journey. And that career journey actually starts in your K-12 timeframe and goes all the way through retirement.
Where do you see additional investments in the area of hypersonics?
There is certainly a workforce development aspect of that, there is certainly a ground test facility aspect to that. There are investments needed in a propulsion, materials, structural design perspective. We don’t get into “this is how you ought to allocate the money.” We will leave that to the Department of Defense and NASA and the FAA and all the appropriate parties. We will say “this is something that is important and here’s why.”
We’re different than everyone else. I will go so far as to say it’s our advantage. We can bring the technical experts in to have the conversation and then facilitate that discussion with the legislative branch, the executive branch, whoever is appropriate, so that they can have the best available information in an objective format. We very purposely work very hard to stay away from advocating for one organization or companies’ relative agenda items.
You are also engaging in the conversation about what should be emphasized in the potential infrastructure bill?
The message is, make sure that when you’re thinking about the infrastructure bill that in addition to the needed work on roads, bridges, we need better airports with new runways, new air traffic control systems. There is work to be done. Also how does that air traffic control system start to interface with the space traffic management system and the space debris issue?
How much of a looming challenge is that?
We all know that whenever you launch on the central coast of Florida, the launch windows affect the commercial air traffic transportation up and down the eastern seaboard. We have a committee that has been established recently to take a look at this question and what needs to be done — that interrelationship, that integration between space traffic management and air traffic management. It is really easy to think about the two separately. There is an interface there that’s coming and that we need to be ready for as launch rates start to increase. The various locations of those launches — even return, landing boosters on barges or on land — those also affect the air traffic management system, so we have to be able to sort through and figure out what those problems are and how we address those problems. What technologies are needed? What research is needed to address those issues?
AIAA has been clear about the need to get clear in the U.S. government who is responsible and appropriate funding for dealing with the space debris/space traffic management question. The Department of Commerce in the previous administration was identified as the lead agency. We need to make sure that that decision remains or if you are going to change it, clearly change it quickly. And that the funding to go execute and do the appropriate engineering, technical research and regulatory work is all available.
Why is that so important? When we talk about building a low-Earth orbit space economy, and we start talking about more and more commercial development and commercial utilization of low-Earth orbit, [addressing] the space debris and space traffic management problems is essential for success.
How is AIAA evolving as an organization?
AIAA was established in the early ’60s back in the timeframe where what was going on in the aerospace industry was primarily government-driven. We were also technical discipline-driven, because we were trying to figure out how to make things work. We were trying to do rocket engines, we were trying to figure out how to handle liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. And we were trying to figure out aerodynamics for rockets and airplanes and fighter jets and new propulsion systems for aircraft. The marketplace has moved from primarily government-driven to a situation where it’s still significantly driven by the government and it’s driven by the commercial marketplace and the commercial business development.
It’s a cultural transition and that’s OK. That’s what’s needed to address the current marketplace and to also position ourselves for the long term career journey of our younger members so that they are prepared and ready to take on the larger systems challenges that are coming down the road. We owe it to the next generation to help get them prepared to handle those challenges — helping them get the leadership skills, the technical skills, the program management skills that are needed, not only for today but also for the future, when there is autonomous flight and people flying air taxis from airports and urban areas to all kind of different challenges.
We are having more and more adjacent industries or adjacent markets or adjacent technologies that are trying to take advantage of aerospace capabilities and need to be integrated or made part of the overall aerospace profession. For example, we are planning a session in November on agricultural management from space. We are going to have those kinds of discussions about what’s needed to bring those companies that are good at construction and large facility development. If we are going to be successful with a lunar economy, I have to have the capability to build those facilities on the moon. Where am I going to go to get that? Probably from the people who are good at doing it on Earth.
