Today's Ask the Administrator Answer

Editor’s note: The following selection is repeated – verbatim – from an ongoing “Ask the Administrator” dialog with Mike Griffin, located on InsideNASA, and can be viewed by anyone at NASA:

Question(s): Why does NASA allow such a sloppy dress code?? I have actually been asked that question by visitors as well as people in the community. To me it is downright embarrassing. Our contractors do a much better job! From:Anonymous,Johnson Space Center

Response (on 31-Jan-2007): It would be embarrassing to me to prescribe standards as to how others should dress.

Comments? Send them to [email protected]. Your Comments thus far:

Well I don’t agree with the Administrator on much – but the dress code response was one I could get behind. I have a T shirt and torn up cargo pants on this AM. I’m also upside down working on an experimental pee distillation system. I just can’t find an appropriate tie for the job I guess. Thank you Dr. Griffin for pointing out the obvious to someone who clearly does not get out of the office enough. – An Anonymous Real Research Engineer

Is that a troll? You know I came here in 1966, I suppose people in the trenches do dress down somewhat more than back then, but even back in those days people may have worn slacks instead of jeans but even branch chiefs wore ties only when needed.

I was told that when JSC was set up with people from Langley, in the early 60’s, that were was a dress code…. that lasted only one summer! Try wearing a coat and tie here in Houston from about the first of May to the middle of October and one learns that to ‘dress for success’ means dressing for comfort!

There used to be bumper stickers here in Houston that read: “I know hell is hot, but is it humid?” – [email protected]