Vice Presidential Pool Reports of November 5, 2021

VP Supplemental pool report #1

Greetings from the White House where we're loading into a van for a hike trip to the Goddard Space Flight Center.

The White House passes along the following background:

On Background from a White House Official

Today, November 5, Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Greenbelt, Maryland to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center to underscore how the U.S. is harnessing one of the nations' most powerful tools – our space program to combat the climate crisis and protect vulnerable communities. This event will be livestreamed at whitehouse.gov/live.

During her visit, she will announce that the Administration's inaugural meeting of the National Space Council on will be held on December 1, 2021. She will also present the first imagery returns from the recently launched Landsat 9 Earth observation mission.

The Vice President, joined by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and leaders from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), will tour the climate-oriented space activities underway at NASA Goddard and learn about the collaboration among U.S. federal agencies on space missions that are central to tackling the climate crisis and improving our scientific understanding of Earth. Following the tour, the Vice President will deliver remarks.

The Vice President's visit comes on the heels of President Biden's engagements at COP26 – and builds on her work to amplify the Biden-Harris Administration's leadership and historic investments to address the climate crisis.

• On Monday, the Vice President visited New York to demonstrate how taking climate action will create jobs and advance environmental justice.
• Last week, Harris met with leaders of national climate and environmental organizations at the White House to talk about the historic climate investments in the Build Back Better agenda.
• Last month, Harris urged enactment of the Build Back Better agenda and it provisions that address the climate crisis and build climate resilience during a visit to drought-stricken Lake Mead.
• Since taking office, Harris has held multiple events across the country making the case for climate action as part of the Build Back Better Agenda, including on water resilience in Oakland, CA, electric school buses in Greensboro, NC, public transit in Cincinnati, OH, and clean energy R&D in Milwaukee, WI.
• Next week, the Vice President will travel to Paris, France and is expected to discuss increased space cooperation with French President Emmanuel Macron. This is part of the Vice President's ongoing efforts to increase international space cooperation.

Background about the space missions

The Vice President and officials will hear from NASA, NOAA, and USGS specialists who design, develop, and operate space missions that address aspects of the climate crisis, including:

1. Landsat 9: the latest in a series of satellites providing nearly 50 years of continuous data on Earth's forests, farms, urban areas, and freshwater systems. Landsat 9 will ensure researchers have continued access to this data to help address a number of areas, including: agriculture planning, drought and water use, and forest management. Landsat is a partnership between USGS and NASA.

2. On-orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing – 1 (OSAM-1): a robotic NASA spacecraft that will be equipped with the tools to extend satellite lifespans, including by refueling Landsat satellites.

3. Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES): a series of satellites that provide continuous coverage of the Western Hemisphere from 23,000 miles above the Earth and provide hurricane tracking, tornado warning, flood warning, and air condition data, among other benefits. GOES is a partnership between NOAA and NASA.

Select background on Vice President Harris' work on international space cooperation

• Vice President's Visit to Singapore (August 2021). In bilateral meetings with the leaders of Singapore, Vice President Harris highlighted the importance of international space cooperation and reinforced international norms on the peaceful exploration of space. See more here.
• Vice President's Visit to Vietnam (August 2021). In bilateral meetings with Vietnamese leaders, Vice President Harris emphasized reinforcing international norms on the peaceful exploration of space and both countries agreed to support efforts to ensure space activities are conducted in a responsible and sustainable manner and committed to a bilateral space dialogue. See more here.
• Vice President's Meeting with Quad Leaders, Morrison and Suga (September 2021). The Quad countries (Australia, India, Japan, and the U.S.) are among the world's scientific leaders, including in space. The U.S. will begin space cooperation between the Quad countries for the first time with a new working group. In particular, the partnership will exchange satellite data focused on monitoring and adapting to climate change, disaster preparedness, and responding to challenges in shared domains. See more here.

Background on the National Space Council

• The National Space Council (NSpC) is the White House policy council responsible for ensuring the United States capitalizes on the rich opportunities presented by our nations' space activities. Under the leadership of its chair, Vice President Kamala Harris, the NSpC advises and assists the President on the development and implementation of space policy and strategy and is comprised of Cabinet-level Secretaries and other senior executive branch officials.
• The NSpC integrates the civil, commercial, and national security space activities of the United States to advance the broader priorities of the Biden-Harris Administration. Space capabilities underpin fundamental elements of our society, from education and science to security and economic prosperity. The United States leverages space capabilities to better understand the Earth and its climate, explore the universe, create commercial opportunities, and strengthen security and international partnerships. There is more activity in space today than at any point in history, and the participants in this fast-developing domain are diverse and expanding: nations with long-standing experience, countries seeking access to space, innovative and ambitious companies, research institutions, and users of space services from across the United States and the world.

VP Supplemental pool report #2

Pool saw Vice President Kamala Harris board her car at 3:29 p.m. ET. The motorcade left the White House shortly after and we're en route to the Goddard Center.

VP Supplemental pool report #3

After an uneventful ride to Maryland the VP's motorcade arrived at Goddard at 3:55 p.m. ET.

The press van peeled off from the rest of the motorcade so pool did not see the vice president disembark from her car.

The White House passed along this list of your participants:

Tour participants:

1. Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator
2. Pam Melroy, NASA Deputy Administrator
3. Dennis Andrucyk, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Director
4. Stephen Volz, NOAA Assistant Administrator for Satellite and Information Systems
5. David Applegate, USGS Acting Director
6. Dr. Jeremy Werdell, NASA Research Oceanographer
7. Dr. Lesley Ott, NASA Research Meteorologist
8. Dr. Christian Braneon, NASA Principal Investigator of the Climate Change Research Initiative
9. Jaymit Patel, NASA Robotics Operator
10. John Easley, NASA Robotics Operator Group Lead
11. Pam Sullivan, NOAA GOES-R System Program Director
12. Lola Fatoyinbo, NASA Research Physical Scientist

Stop 1: Robotics Operation Center w/ USGS Acting Director Applegate who will explain the Landsat 7 mission.

Stop 2: Stop 2: Robotics Operation Center to hear about GOES/PACE satellite missions w/ NOAA Assistant Administrator Stephen Volz. Pam Sullivan and Dr. Jeremy Werdell will give presentation

Stop 3: Stop 3: Hyperwall, to hear about climate change w/ Deputy Administrator Pam Mellroy, Dr. Lesley Ott, and Dr. Christian Braneon

VP Supplemental pool report #4

Harris could be seen touring the facility alongside Senator Chris Van Hollen and Administrator Nelson at 4:15 p.m.

At one point she used one of the joysticks to rotate and move a mechanical arm.

At 4:25 pool and the traveling press were lead over to where Goddard personnel described some of the NASA GOESAR satellites and the technology NASA uses with NOAA.

Pool could not make out the question she asked the NASA personnel.

At 4:34 pm Harris was led over to sit for a briefing and presentation by Deputy NASA Administrator Pam Melroy and NASA scientists on the Goddard Center, NASA's focuses and satellites.

The White House also passes along a correction to a list of names it sent out earlier:

1. Joe Easley, NASA Robotics Operator Group Lead

VP Supplemental pool report #5

The tour concluded at 5:00 p.m. Dennis J. Andrucyk, the Goddard Center director, closed out.

Harris thanked the NASA staff for their presentation.

Pool and the press that traveled with Harris today were then lead to a different room where an audience was waiting for Harris's remarks to begin. The stage is set up in front of the SES (Space Environment Simulator).

At 5:11 Senator Chris Van Hollen took the stage to give remarks.

Van Hollen praised Harris for leading the national space council "which she chairs" he said.

Van Hollen also thanked Nelson and the partners at NASA and NOAA in their work to fight climate change.

VP Supplemental pool report #6

After introductory remarks from Sen. Nelson, Harris took the stage at 5:27 p.m.

Her remarks will be live-streamed.?

VP Supplemental pool report #7

Harris concluded her remarks at 5:37 pm. She did not respond to a question from the press.

Pool was led back to the press van. The van waited until 5:55 when it joined the rest of the motorcade. We're on the move back to D.C.

VP Supplemental pool report #8

The press van split off from the rest of the motorcade at 12th and Constitution at around 6:15. The Vice President headed back to the Naval Observatory. We arrived back at the White House at 6:20 p.m.

Have a good evening.