NASA space technology head leaves the agency

BUSAN, South Korea — The head of NASA’s space technology directorate is leaving the agency after just six months on the job and will be replaced on an interim basis by the director of the Langley Research Center.

NASA announced July 16 that Kurt “Spuds” Vogel, associate administrator for space technology, was retiring from the agency, effective immediately. The announcement did not disclose the reason for his departure.

“I’d like to thank Dr. Vogel for his service at NASA and wish him well in the future,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement announcing the leadership change.

Vogel took over as associate administrator leading the Space Technology Mission Directorate in January. He replaced Jim Reuter, who retired the previous June. Vogel joined NASA in July 2021 as director of space architectures, helping lead the development of the agency’s Moon to Mars architecture.

Vogel’s departure was a surprise for many in the industry. He had been spearheading a technology shortfall analysis, seeking input from inside and outside NASA on a list of 187 topics where current technologies fall short of NASA needs. The purpose of the analysis was to prioritize which areas should receive future investment. Doing so, he said in a speech in April, was designed to maximize the value of the “level of effort” funding the directorate receives.

Vogel was scheduled to provide an update on that effort at the ASCEND conference at the end of the month in Las Vegas. It’s unclear what the status and future plans for that assessment are.

NASA announced that Clayton Turner will serve as associate administrator for space technology on an interim basis. He has been director of the Langley Research Center, whose activities include some space technology projects, since September 2019.

Taking over as director of Langley, also on an interim basis, is Dawn Schaible, the deputy director of the Glenn Research Center. She was previously director of engineering at Langley before becoming Glenn’s deputy director in early 2023.