Fear and Layoffs – Real and Imagined
NASA Review Committee Mulls Field Center Consolidation, Space News
“NASA says its 10 field centers employ about 18,000 civil servants and four times as many contractors. These centers, some of which predate the 1958 National Aeronautics and Space Act that created NASA, house a variety of specialized scientific and engineering facilities, many of which are underutilized today. “I would be less than honest if I told you we need everything we have,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden told the Committee to Review NASA’s Strategic Direction June 27. “We don’t.”
NASA says there are no plans for human spaceflight cutbacks at Cleveland’s Glenn Research Center, Cleveland Plain Dealer
“[NASA press secretary Lauren] Worley provided numbers showing that Glenn’s workforce had declined by 214 positions between 2005 and 2009, the years during which Griffin served as NASA’s administrator.”
Mal Peterson: the value of fear in managing corporate-downsizing, 28 March 1996 (the posting that began NASAWatch – then known as “NASA RIF Watch”)
“Mal Peterson (NASA HQ Comptroller’s Office) personally briefed NASA program managers (Centers and HQ) yesterday (27 March) and gave instructions for planning and implementing a RIF by Summer 1997, the reduction to be completed by October 1998, to a total complement level of 17,500, as called for by the President for the year 2000, to be completed by 1998. Vugraphs were shown concerning “the value of fear in managing corporate-downsizing.” (That is a direct quote).”
Many of us knew that this would be coming. Some of us thought much sooner rather than later. Some of us were even laughed at. Funny less than a year later this comes up.
I can’t wait to “rack n stack” the centers… oh how do we rack n stack em, by missions completed or billions wasted…
Respectfully,
Andrew Gasser
TEA Party in Space
I have stated in this blog that I believe the ’10 centers” concept is past due for change.
However, I surely hope that the Tea Party House does not get to do the “rack n stack”. So far the Tea Party House has only been able to say NO to any reasonable compromise on any subject.
Hardly any secret inside NASA that facilities are falling apart and/or becoming very outdated due to lack of maintenance and modernization. Yes, many great one of a kind facilities and few of a kind experts in many fields. However, NASA needs to make painful decisions so that the remaining facilities can return to being world class, many of which are not even close any more. NASA is rotting under its own weight and the weight of some major programs, many of which one has to wonder will ever result in anything. NASA biggest problem right now is a few large programs are eating the agency alive and leadership lacks the will to make tough choices. Couple that with an agency that has long been taken over by politics and the end result should hardly be a surprise.
Yes. NASA has both too much infrastucture — facilities, centers, civil servants-, while at the same time has inadequate infrastructure — laboratories with old, worn out equipment, facilities needing repair!
Change is needed!
Respectfully,
Stone
No Tea Party in Space
Imitation is the best form of flattery.
I take it you have seen none of the work TEA Party in Space has done with respect to COTS, CCDev, and most recently, ITAR Reform. We have accomplished a lot and I find it amazing how people continue to see the word TEA Party and immediately dismiss our work.
Frankly, we love it.
We have congressional staff looking at our work whenever it is published. But just not TEA Party types, but also Democrats and Republicans. We are truly non-partisan. It is to the point now were people know who we are and what our intentions are.
“Mr. Stone”, perhaps you should spend some time at http://www.teapartyinspace.org before you make such statements. Make sure to check out our platform… I think you may be surprised.
Finally, if you are going to use my signature, get it right. It is TEA Party in Space. The TEA stands for Taxed Enough Already. Also, you should use your real name. I use mine, we are all mature here and can have some intellectual honesty with who we are.
Respectfully,
Andrew Gasser
TEA Party in Space
Sorry to bust your bubble Andrew, however, Mr. Stone is correct in his views. There are a lot of antiquated equipment all over and thank goodness most of it has gone out the gates along with the end of the Space Shuttle Program. All the Centers presently are struggling with new shifts of work skills and re-organizations of which already happened way before the Space Shuttles ended their flights.
I am so happy that you are happy with your work in the “TEA PARTY” and it is so nice and reassuring to see that TEA=TAXED ENOUGH ALREADY and it seems like to LOVE this catchy phrase. Of which I do not give a RATS Rusty Dusty primarily because it is going to take a different approach for the UNITED STATES of AMERICA to reach out goals in Space (LOW EARTH and BEYOND) and not look at TAX ENOUGH ALREADY mind sets.
NASA was never setup for a typical setup to explore for a business platform but, rather a science objective and to be the first in many things including Man Space Flight. Your posting (Statements) that you are completely and truly non-partisan “is” a bunch of Horse Dump from the rear. Your radical views are really do not function well in the Science, Math, and Man Space Flight – Exploration setting because you seem to count your every penny and always looking for what’s in it for me and why are we spending this or that. Right now NASA is 1/2 of a Penny from the entire USA Budget and your continued views will make the USA the lagging country in the future in Science and Technology. Our young people are our Future and I see many in schools (NASA is involved in schools as our outreach programs) and I see so many young boys and girls selecting other things instead of Math, Science, Physics etc..which is the back bone of a nation’s superior status in the world.
Right now many NASA Centers are struggling for Training Money and Travel. Many of the Training are in other parts of the country so, many centers no longer have the travel money so, many of those course are either cancelled because of lack of registration and the work force does not get train in other critical areas that those Centers have to migrate in critical skill areas to transition into Design and Technology instead of Operations and Processing like during the Space Shuttle Program.
I just hope you can STOP Harping on your proud badge of honor with your Horse Poop of mentioning your TEA Stuff again and how about really educating yourself on the making NASA, all Centers gain the needed funds for planning and accomplishing their goals instead harping on the political badge that you seem to wear on your chest so proudly. Please consider to become useful.
How about supporting a ONE FULLY PENNY FOR NASA budget so, the agency can do!
http://penny4nasa.net/diffe…
Please join this hard working Scientist to fund NASA on a ONE FULL PENNY Budget outlay.
http://youtu.be/Fl07UfRkPas
Good day!
Padrat
Lots to talk about Padrat.
First of all, we agree… there are a lot of NASA centers that have a lot of antiquated and outdated materials and equipment. As NASA attempts to reorganize we can only hope it is done in a manner that will enable our country to expand American Exceptionalism deeper into the solar system.
Sorry if I took a minute to tout some of the things we have done in a non-partisan manner… but it is undeniable. Our TEA Party really did do it right, a lot have NOT and agree with you there.
That being said, you have a better chance of that cold fusion experiment working than NASA getting 1/100 of the national budget. It is a waste of time and effort. Notice I did not say it was not noble. It is noble to want 1 penny for NASA…
It is just never going to happen while we have a multi-trillion dollar deficit, our military industrial complex is out of control, and we have an entitlement mentality and dilemma in our nation. It doesn’t matter what side we are on with these issues, I just acknowledge they exist.NASA will not receive funding like that for decades… and that is if we figure out how to solve this mess.Take care Padrat, hope life is treating you well.
Respectfully,
Andrew Gasser
TEA Party in Space
But if you Tea Partiers, especially those Tea Party Republicans in the House, would only compromise a little, instead of holding to ideological views only, and would put the good of the nation ahead of those entrenched views, then the deficit part of the problem would be solved!!!
And as long as you continue to tout the Tea Party through your signature in this blog, I shall continue to write political commentary here.
It seems rather pointless to address such contentious issues just four months in advance of what is shaping up to be a highly disruptive election. The political landscape will likely be quite different before implementation can even start being considered.
From the archives (I had saved the post cause it is good)
From a longer post:BrianM replied to comment from Steve Whitfield| November 17, 2011 9:57 AM|
“(3) Redeploy 80% of the NASA and contractor workforce to become separate organizations for establishing and maintaining systems expertise [Centers of Excellence] : ECLS, Thermal, Power, Comm, Humans, Robotics, Data Systems, and Propulsion. Begin an earnest effort to develop advanced propulsion systems. That may include fuel depots. About 10% of the workforce ought to focus on project management and systems integration. About 10% should focus on operations. Somehow over the last quarter century NASA turned its manpower base upside down with 80% of its people doing operations – writing checklists and throwing switches (in an era where computers can frequently perform these functions better). You certainly do not need most of your people doing operations in an era when we have one or two people in space mainly doing housekeeping and maintaining an old system. NASA disassembled its once magnificent engineering organization; now it needs to start rebuilding it. You can cannibalize the existing operations and ISS organizations to reestablish technical engineering excellence.
Those are efforts that should be started now.”