Management Changes at Webb Announced

NASA GSFC Internal Email: Center Director Announces Organizational Changes - JWST

"For the past 8 years, the JWST team has been led by Phil Sabelhaus, and in my view, no one could have been more effective leading this government, industry, and international team, especially in light of the enormous challenges and constraints. That said, there are times in the life-cycle of a project when change is beneficial, not only to the undertaking but also to the individuals involved. On JWST, that time is now. Effective today, I have named Bill Ochs to be the JWST Project Manager, and Phil will replace Bill as the Landsat Data Continuity Mission Project Manager."

Keith's note: Yes, given these back-to-back cost overruns and schedule slips, after 8 years, it is time to fix something. But this is just two guys swapping chairs. Isn't something more substantive called for at NASA? Imagine how this would have been handled in the real world.