I was honored yesterday as one of the 100 Women Leaders in STEM at an event held at the Hart Senate Office Building here in Washington, DC, just up the road from NASA Headquarters. Some of the other honorees included Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, the EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, founder and CEO of The Conrad Foundation Nancy Conrad and Marion Blakey, the President and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association. All these amazing women came together to talk about one thing: how we get more young women involved in science, technology, engineering and math.

NASA has a unique role in STEM. We are a beacon to the next generation, inspiring them to pursue STEM in school and as a career. And we are an employer. We provide the pipeline for students and young professionals. And we need those students to fill the jobs we offer. Our investments in STEM are not simply theoretical – we are looking for the people who will build the rocket ships and satellites of tomorrow.

STEM jobs bring so much to our nation. Regardless of whether they are in the field of space, aviation, clean energy, health or manufacturing, STEM jobs are high-tech, high-paying jobs. They contribute to our national economy and help us maintain global leadership. It is critical that we encourage students to study and go into STEM fields, and it is especially critical that we encourage girls to pursue STEM careers.

I was inspired by Dr. Sally Ride, who was a professional and personal role model to me. Sally was not only the first American woman to fly in space, she was also the youngest. Sally’s first Shuttle flight was the first space flight I paid any attention to. I think that was true for a lot of girls my age; I’ve heard the rest of her crew say they got used to being known as the “six guys who flew with Sally Ride.” Her inspiration will live on, and I hope that we will live up to her example to keep finding ways to encourage girls in STEM fields. Today, in a classroom somewhere in America, is a child who will one day walk on Mars. When she does, it will be in part because of the women honored yesterday who, like Sally Ride, are committed to ensuring that girls find ways into science, technology, engineering and math.

Earlier today a grateful nation bid farewell to an American hero. Neil Armstrong was revered not only for being the first human to set foot on the moon, he was also a war hero and throughout his life he seized every opportunity to serve his country and all humankind. Space exploration, as Neil knew so well, is about all of us – from the astronauts in flight to the engineers, construction workers and support teams on the ground to the millions of people around the world eager to see what lies beyond the next horizon. The words on the plaque left on the Moon by Apollo 11 read: “We came in peace for all mankind.”

Today, especially, it is important to remember that NASA’s vision is to reach for new heights and explore the unknown, so that what we do and learn will benefit all humankind. It’s about making life better here on Earth and improving the human condition. Neil noted that geographic features and national boundaries disappear as you get farther from the Earth. You can see how fragile our planet is, and how small we are by the scale of the universe. From space you can see that we really are all in this together.

As Administrator Bolden said during today’s memorial service, “Neil Armstrong left more than footprints and a flag on the moon.”  He laid the foundation for even greater successes and paved the way for future American explorers to be the first to step foot on Mars or another distant planet.

We are planning a return flight around the Moon in preparation for a first-ever mission to send humans to an asteroid in 2025, and on to Mars in the 2030s. Our current plan, which we’ve detailed to Congress and the public, calls for an uncrewed flight around the Moon in 2017, and a crewed flight in 2021.

Neil Armstrong was the first human to walk on the moon. But today, in a classroom somewhere in America, is a child who will one day walk on Mars. And each step she takes will benefit all humankind.

The first Monday in September is a holiday for many of us. It’s the beginning of the school year and the time when offices switch from casual summer dress back to suits and ties. We’ve taken our summer vacations and are ready to settle in for the fall.

But it’s also a day to thank an American worker. Our great country exists because of the people who get out of bed every day to build bridges and roads, run the checkout stand in the grocery store, patrol our streets, and keep planes and trains running on time and safely. And many protections we take for granted – weekends, 40-hour work week, paid holidays like Labor Day – came from the struggle and sacrifice of the American worker.

Labor Day is national tribute to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It is appropriate today that we honor the workers who contribute so much to the strength and prosperity of our country. NASA is a great example of what the American worker accomplishes in this country everyday. Over 18,000 civil servants and tens of thousands of contractors make it possible for this nation to dream big and achieve amazing things.

NASA’s vision is to reach for new heights and reveal the unknown so that what we do and learn will benefit all humankind. But we could not do any of that without the infrastructure created by the American worker. We could not build Mars rovers and launch rockets without the workers in the big factories and small independent businesses. We could not design the life support systems that keep us alive in orbit or on another planet without the teachers who help create an educated workforce. We could not create ways to make planes safer and more efficient without the innovators in the high tech sector.

To every American worker, whether you have the day off or are working hard, thank you.

92 years ago, on August 26, 1920, the United States granted women the right to vote through the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. For almost 100 years, women have been making a difference by casting their ballot to make their voice heard. The ability to exercise this most sacred of our country’s rights is not one we should take for granted; we have no right to complain if we do not participate.

Our participation is critical in more than just the voting booth. In the last century, women have made tremendous advances in what have been traditionally male-dominated fields, such as engineering and science. The Benoit College Mindset List, which reflects the worldview of the entering class of college freshmen, for the class of 2016 noted that, for this class of students born in 1994: “Women have always piloted war planes and space shuttles.”

Here at NASA we have been working hard to increase the number of women engineers, scientists and supervisors. But we have more to do to foster the women currently in the workforce and encourage the young women just entering the workforce. We must make also ensure that today’s young girls have the opportunity to grow into women who will be astronauts, astronomers, mathematicians, and rocket scientists.

A century ago, women fought to be included in the most basic tenet of our nation’s government: the right to participate in our government. In the decades since, women have reached for new heights. I am able to work today as the Deputy Administrator of NASA alongside other amazing women here at NASA and throughout our government because of women like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sally Ride and Eileen Collins, and so many others paving the way. All of these women fought to create opportunities for women, none more so than my friend Sally Ride, a pioneer whose all-to0-brief life nevertheless created new paths for women to pursue and whose example we will continue to follow. Sally and i also took our inspiration from another pioneer we have recently lost, Neil Armstrong, who made his legacy a crucible through which women could also take advantage of opportunities in science and technology. We honor the legacy of those who have come before us by becoming educated and informed citizens and by continuing to open up new avenues of opportunity for women everywhere.

Good news and the prospect of additional jobs are arriving on Florida’s Space Coast at the speed of innovation. Last week, on the 50th anniversary of Kennedy Space Center, I joined Florida Senator Bill Nelson, Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, and officials from Lockheed Martin for the unveiling of the first Orion capsule that will carry our astronauts farther into space than any human has ever traveled. The work leading up to Orion’s first test flight in 2014 is expected to support at least 350 Space Coast jobs. This week, the Space Coast economy got another boost when Rocket Crafters, Inc. (RCI), a Utah-based company, announced plans to move its budding high-tech aerospace business to Brevard County. The company expects that by 2017-18, it will have about 1,300 highly skilled aerospace workers, including former space shuttle employees.

RCI holds licenses for advanced hybrid rocket and aerospace composite technologies, as well as proprietary hybrid rocket design and analysis software. The company plans to develop new suborbital flight technology that would enable the completion of an intercontinental journey in about one-sixth the time it takes a conventional airplane.

This is further evidence that the Space Coast is open for business and positioning itself for the next era of space exploration. In addition to Orion’s arrival at Kennedy Space Center, NASA has recently facilitated agreements with the Boeing Company, Craig Technologies and others to use Kennedy facilities and equipment. And SpaceX recently became the first commercial firm to launch a successful resupply mission from the Space Coast to the International Space Station.

A year after the retirement of NASA's space shuttles, the work force at Kennedy is remaking America's gateway to space. Over the past three years, President Obama has fought to invest almost $1.4 billion in NASA’s 21st Century Space Launch Complex and Exploration Ground Systems.

As a result, a dynamic infrastructure is taking shape, one designed to host many kinds of spacecraft and rockets sending robotic spacecraft and people on America’s next adventures.

By investing in American companies—and American ingenuity—we are spurring free-market competition to give taxpayers more bang for the buck, while enabling NASA to do what it does best—reach for the heavens. We are also ending the out-sourcing of American space jobs and bringing them right back to Florida and other states all across the country.

This strategy is producing tangible results and our teams in Florida and across the nation are making steady progress.

Today I joined with NASA’s good friend Florida Senator Bill Nelson and Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana to celebrate the arrival of the new Orion crew capsule and the 50th anniversary of Kennedy Space Center.

For 50 years, Kennedy has been America’s gateway to space.

In fact, the road to space always has – and always will – lead right through the great state of Florida.

With the delivery of this magnificent golden anniversary present there is no doubt, as the poet Robert Frost once said, “You still have promises to keep and many miles before you sleep.”

This is a milestone moment for the Space Coast, NASA and America’s space program.

Orion’s arrival here at Kennedy marks a major accomplishment in the ambitious new American space program that President Obama and Congress have approved.

It’s a new and exciting chapter in American great space exploration story, one that will see more discoveries, scientific breakthroughs, and, ultimately, more Americans in space going to places never before visited.

Two years ago, in this very building, the President set a goal of sending humans farther into space than we have ever been – to an asteroid by 2025 and to Mars in the 2030s.

Washington agreed that the best way to do that was for NASA to turn over the delivery of cargo and crew to the International Space Station and other low-Earth destinations to private companies so that we could concentrate on building America’s next generation space exploration system, the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System.

By investing in American companies—and American ingenuity—we are spurring free-market competition to give taxpayers more bang for the buck, while enabling NASA to do what it does best—reach for the heavens.

We’re also ending the out-sourcing of American space jobs and bringing them right back here to Florida and other states all across the country.

This strategy is producing tangible results and the teams here in Florida and across the nation are making steady progress.

In May, SpaceX of Hawthorne, California, became the first private company to launch and dock to the International Space Station and return its Dragon 9 capsule safely back to Earth.

Today we are looking at further proof that our strategy is working.

When Orion takes its first test flight in 2014, it will travel farther into space than any spacecraft designed for humans has flown in the 40 years since our astronauts returned from the moon.

But we still have miles to go. Beginning today, Orion will undergo final construction and integration, supporting at least 350 Space Coast jobs.

You should also know that the President’s 2013 budget includes $500 million in investments in NASA’s 21st century Space Launch Complex and Exploration Ground Systems activities.

This will create new jobs in Florida and will help modernize and transform Kennedy Space Center’s launch infrastructure to benefit current and future government and commercial users.

NASA is a driver of innovation and economic growth, a creator of high-skilled and high-paying jobs, and a force for inspiration in the American people.

And today NASA and the Kennedy Space Center are again lifting our sights and lifting the spirit of our nation to new heights.

I want to again congratulate the team here at Kennedy and our partners at Lockheed Martin for achieving this historic milestone. Together, we are setting America’s space program on a course of greatness for the next 50 years and beyond.

Today at NASA Headquarters, we hosted Girl Scouts visiting Washington, DC for the celebration of the Girl Scouts 100th anniversary. I want to congratulate the Girl Scouts of America on a century of positive impact on girls, emphasizing achieving their full potential and developing skills to make a difference.

Since 1912, when Juliette Gordon Low first gathered 18 girls in her hometown of Savannah, Georgia, the Girl Scouts has grown to 3.7 million members, including nearly 900,000 adult volunteers. It is a true testament to the positive impact of the Girl Scouts that it is the largest educational organization for girls in the world. The Girl Scouts has troops across the USA and in 92 other countries. As a former girl scout myself, I know the impact that scouting can have on young women.

In a 1929 Girl Scout Handbook, it says that the Girl Scouts were named after the explorers of the West, and noted that those pioneers needed to have courage and perseverance and endurance and understand the land through which they traveled. Today’s Girl Scouts are no less pioneers, but their frontier is one of science and technology. That same sense of courage and perseverance is going to be needed as we travel farther into our solar system and explore our universe.

The Girls Scouts are leaders in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. Their approach combines STEM experiences with leadership opportunities, giving young women a chance to make a difference in their world. Many of us learn best through hands-on activities, and scouts get that opportunity in many ways. They learn to think about how their activity worked and how they would change it if they could do it again, and they learn to practice teamwork. These skills and opportunities are critical to preparing the future generation of scientists and engineers to tackle the challenges of tomorrow.

As the Girl Scouts celebrate their landmark anniversary, I would like to offer some advice to young women and girls – and pioneers – everywhere. We are often taught as girls to be nice and polite. I’ve found that too many women interpret being polite as being quiet. You can be both polite and assertive. Being assertive isn’t about being combative. It’s about speaking up. If you have an idea or see something that needs to be changed, speak up. Your voice is important.

Today’s young people will have opportunities in their lifetime that have never been available to anyone else: to travel to an asteroid, walk on Mars, study new cosmic phenomena and other missions no one has dreamed up yet.

Earlier this year, we started the process for recruiting our next class of astronauts, who will fly to the International Space Station and visit farther destinations. We have many exciting missions being built and launched right now, and our future is bright.

We will continue to need astronauts, astrophysicists, engineers, geologists, biologists, writers, educators, photographers, website designers, budget staff, and many other kinds of people at NASA. Every Girl Scout has the potential for an amazing future. I hope to see may of them working at NASA or in the wider aerospace field where so many opportunities are available for bright young people to change the world.

Congratulations, Girl Scouts of America, on 100 years of making a difference for women and girls!