TULSA, Okla. –<\/p>\n
Tulsa\u2019s aviation roots could help power the next chapter of America\u2019s space industry.<\/p>\n
Pilots, aerospace professionals and space enthusiasts gathered at Destinations Aviation Center to hear former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine discuss why the city is uniquely positioned to expand its footprint beyond aviation and into advanced space operations.<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe Need to Start Thinking Differently About Space\u201d<\/p>\n
Bridenstine said that the global space landscape is changing rapidly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to start thinking differently about space,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a fundamentally different industry than it used to be, and we\u2019re excited as the Artemis Group to bring that back here to the city of Tulsa and the state of Oklahoma.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n A Space Legacy Rooted in Tulsa<\/p>\n
While the conversation focused on the future, Bridenstine highlighted Tulsa\u2019s long-standing ties to America\u2019s space program. He noted that Tulsa companies helped build key components for rockets that sent astronauts to the moon and manufactured parts for the International Space Station.<\/p>\n
He also pointed to a unique piece of history: the American Airlines 747 – the plane that transported the space shuttle on its back – was modified in Tulsa.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, we have this great history of space here in Tulsa,\u201d Bridenstine said. \u201cWhat we\u2019re doing now is we\u2019re bringing it back. And now in the space community, it\u2019s not about government purchased, owned and operated systems, it\u2019s about commercial systems that the government can buy as a service.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n A New Propulsion Test Facility at Tulsa International Airport<\/p>\n
Looking ahead, Bridenstine and his development group plan to build a hypergolic propulsion test facility at Tulsa International Airport. The proposed facility would focus on testing propulsion systems designed to help satellites maneuver in space. <\/p>\n
\u201cSpace is being targeted by adversaries around the globe,\u201d Bridenstine said. \u201cAnd so, we have to be able to maneuver in space, just like we maneuver in the ocean for the Navy.\u201d<\/p>\n
No timeline has been announced for construction.<\/p>\n
\n The Future of Aviation and Aerospace in Green Country<\/p>\n
Local pilots said having a former NASA administrator investing in Tulsa makes the aviation community excited. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fun to have him here as part of the Destinations community now,\u201d said pilot Paul Stafford. \u201cSo, I\u2019m super excited.\u201d<\/p>\n
Supporters believe projects like the proposed propulsion facility could attract additional space companies to Tulsa and create high-skilled jobs in the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a workforce second to none,\u201d said Bridenstine. \u201cAnd we have the capability of doing this.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TULSA, Okla. – Tulsa\u2019s aviation roots could help power the next chapter of America\u2019s space industry. Pilots, aerospace…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":499126,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[79,193],"class_list":["post-499125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-science","tag-space"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/499125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=499125"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/499125\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/499126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=499125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=499125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=499125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}