NASA administrator and Rice alum Bridenstine celebrates Apollo 11 on campus

More than 55 years after President John F. Kennedy stood inside Rice Stadium and boldly vowed that the country would land an American on the moon, and nearly 50 years after the Apollo 11 mission delivered on that promise, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine ’98 visited his alma mater to participate in activities commemorating the historic mission that took the first humans to the moon.

From left: Rice President David Leebron and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine ’98. Photo by Jeff Fitlow.

Bridenstine joined representatives from Rice and the Moon Tree Foundation on April 12 for the dedication of a plaque outside the stadium to recognize Kennedy’s historic speech. He was introduced by Rice President David Leebron, who noted the university’s longstanding collaboration with NASA and the Owls who have gone on to become astronauts.

“Everybody who was alive when that happened remembers exactly where they were when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon,” Bridenstine said during the ceremony. “Well, now it’s time for a new generation to go to the moon. We haven’t been to the moon for 50 years – 1972 was the last moon mission that we had. And so, the president has given me direction to land humans on the moon within the next five years. That is a big challenge, friends, but it is a challenge that NASA is up to, a challenge that we have had in our past and a challenge we can live up to today.”

From left: Rice President David Leebron, Rice Space Institute Director David Alexander, Moon Tree Foundation President Rosemary Roosa and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine ’98 dedicate a “next-generation moon tree” grown from a cutting of an Apollo 14 moon tree. Photo by Jeff Fitlow.

Bridenstine concluded: “It is perfectly appropriate that we are commemorating that speech because of what that speech meant for the future of our country and really for the future of our world.”

Following the plaque dedication, Bridenstine and Leebron were joined by Rosemary Roosa, president of the Moon Tree Foundation, and David Alexander, director of the Rice Space Institute, to dedicate a “next-generation moon tree” grown from a cutting of an Apollo 14 moon tree.

Later in the evening, the Rice Space Institute hosted “A Conversation with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine,” part of the Houston Spaceport Frontiers Lectures. Approximately 150 people gathered inside Keck Hall, where Bridenstine discussed the impact NASA has on modern society and provided insights into NASA’s vision for traveling to Mars and returning humans to the moon.

“A Conversation with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine,” hosted by the Rice Space Institute and part of the Houston Spaceport Frontiers Lectures. Photo by Haoming Ning.

On April 13, Rice’s chapter of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) hosted the first Owls in Space Symposium. The event included panel discussions featuring leaders in the space industry, networking opportunities with aerospace and engineering companies and lunch with NASA astronauts, including Rice alumna Peggy Whitson ’85.

Bridenstine offered the symposium’s keynote address, and expressed his excitement about the SEDS chapter at Rice.

“This is grassroots at its finest – it’s everyday people, young people, stepping up and saying we believe in an exploration agenda for the U.S. and, in fact, for the entire world,” Bridenstine said of SEDS. “And that’s really what NASA does – we believe in this and we’re so grateful you guys are activists in space exploration.”

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine ’98 speaks at the first “Owls in Space Symposium” hosted by Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS). Photo by Nathan Cook.

Bridenstine also thanked Ryan Udell, president of the Rice chapter of SEDS, who invited him to the symposium during a meeting in Washington, D.C. It was that encounter that led to Bridenstine’s participation in the plaque dedication and Rice Space Institute lecture.

After concluding his formal remarks and taking several questions from students, Bridenstine told them they are the ambassadors for the exploration and development of space and to think of themselves that way.

“If there’s anyone on the face of the planet who is capable of exploring and developing space, it’s the mighty Owls of Rice University,” he said.