News & Politics

The New Guard: People Who Are Shaping Washington

A presidential inauguration marks a moment to look toward the future, and these are the people who are shaping Washington’s. They’ve already changed the way we think, commute, eat, work, and play. They’ve improved our quality of life and beautified our area—and they’re likely to have an impact for years to come.


Eric Anderson

Cofounder and Chairman, Space Adventures

The Space Shuttle Discovery’s flight over Washington last year on the back of a 747 marked the end of the NASA program that sent astronauts to the moon.

But Eric Anderson is stepping in to fill the void. Past chairman of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation and a board member of the X Prize Foundation—which rewards innovation in extraterrestrial exploration—Anderson has spent his career opening the final frontier to a new community of space travelers. In 1998, at age 23, he cofounded Vienna-based Space Adventures, the world’s first space-tourism company, which has sent seven clients to the International Space Station. The company is preparing for its most ambitious mission: the first private trip to the moon.

Profiles were written by Michael Gaynor, Sophie Gilbert, Garrett M. Graff, Shane Harris, Harry Jaffe, Carol Ross Joynt, Marisa M. Kashino, Ann Limpert, Luke Mullins, Melissa Romero, Anna Spiegel, Denise Kersten Wills, Mary Yarrison, and Sarah Zlotnick.

Photograph Credits: Robert Griffin III by Ned Dishman, Karla Smith by Ned Dishman, Harper by Mark Goldman/Newscom, Rales by Hannah Colclazier Photography, Rubell by Logan Fazio/Getty Images, Stanton by Erik Uecke

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