Another Pointless EPO Junket
LAUNCH: Innovating the Way We Create, Beth Beck
“The amazing LAUNCH core team is gathering in San Francisco to host a brainstorming session with thought leaders in the field of “sustainable waste” — creating less and creating more value from existing and future waste. We call this brainstorming session, LAUNCH: Big Think.”
Keith’s note: NASA HEOMD’s EPO lead, Beth Beck is off on yet another fun trip – one whose value to NASA is hard to fathom. But apparently that isn’t important – even as NASA struggles to inform the public and its “stakeholders” of what it does – and why. What does this event have to do with NASA human spaceflight i.e. the part of NASA where Beth works? As far as I can tell, nothing has been published, released, or otherwise discussed wherein value to the agency has been described resulting from Launch.org activities. There seems to be no description of what has been provided of value to NASA human spaceflight efforts. Nor is there any mention of what NASA’s human spaceflight programs have provided of value to launch.org. Why isn’t NASA External Relations doing this? Or perhaps the CTO? It is pointless junkets like this that get Congress angry and force them to issue those “no travel” edicts.
“It is pointless junkets like this that get Congress angry and force them to issue those “no travel” edicts.”
Wait: The field centers are currently under a mandatory 20% cut to their travel expenditures. Flight projects getting ready to LAUNCH are running out of travel “allocation” and other projects are having their allocations robbed to keep those in launch campaign going. We are unable to do many other mission essential trips because we don’t have the travel allocation. We are spending countless hours shuffling trivial amounts of money around and gaming the system by sending contractors in place of civil servants just to comply with these stupid edicts about travel that will not save the Govt one thin dime!
Yet we have HQ people allowed to take stupid trips like this????
If the purview of this conference includes sustainable design that decreases the amount of space junk littering earth orbit and decreasing the potential of snail trails wherever we go in space, it’s not pointless. If it addresses salvage and reuse of materials and systems, it’s not pointless. If it addresses potential commercial markets, it’s not pointless. That said, I’m not sure if NASA has the track record to be the host of such a conference, and I wonder who the thought leaders are in this area.
“If, if if” – there is no agenda online, no statement of tasks, progress – nothing. When I make formal requests of Beth Beck she refuses to comply and complains to her management that I am being mean to her.
Of course there’s an agenda, right there on the front page. Check it out: Energy | Nov 10-13, 2011Health | Oct 30-Nov 1, 2010Water | Mar 16–18, 2010Keith, I’d like to attend some of these. Do you have a time machine I might borrow?
“a brainstorming session with thought leaders in the field of “sustainable waste””
Wow, you just can’t make this stuff up. Sustainable waste it is.
Our funding for research and technology (a tiny part of NASA that tries to do useful stuff) was slashed to $200K for the entire year, and proposals we worked our hearts out on were dropped. Spending on superficial ideas by people who think there are simple answers contribute to the general feeling among the public that NASA is incompetent.
From the Launch.org description on Beth Beck’s blog, the upcoming brainstorming session called “ Big Think* ” is expected to draw in the greatest minds on Earth. They will discuss ways to produce “sustainable waste”, which for some may be considered a rather odd activity. Apparently they will consider visions such as putting waste in to cradles of the unsuspecting, yet I believe such movements occur quite naturally from time to time during normal occupancy. It is unclear as to whether this might be more a movement of waste or simply a waste of movement. They may also consider movements of waste from cradle-to-cradle. Admittedly, many may see that action as rather abusive! Is this a more appropriately a matter for social services? Or just a diaper service?
I didn’t know NASA’s creation of waste was so enormous, granted it could be viewed as a great Waste Management opportunity. Nor did I realize they had a mission to produce high volumes of waste. Nor was it clear NASA felt their waste creation was of concern, viewing it as “unsustainable”. Nor did I see it in NASA’s mission statement that the agency produce an endless stream of sustainable waste, although from the billions lost in false starts and cancelled programs the evidence abounds.
If the brainstorming efforts are successful, Beth may be able to convert NASA from an unsustainable waste to an unending sustainable waste. If NASA can achieve extraordinary levels of sustainable waste it may become a waste model or model of waste for all other agencies. Everyone knows that when you get old, decrepit, and out of shape, everything you take in all goes to your waist, albeit the result is less of a sustainable waste and more of a substantial waist.
* Beck should be advised that the name “Big Think” is already used by a well-established forum. The session should be renamed to differentiate
it and to avoid use of another group’s brand name. Given the topic is waste, insertion of an “S” before think or tink may suffice.