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Personnel News

Putting the Florida Shuttle Team Back to Work

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
July 29, 2012
Filed under , , ,

Florida’s Space Coast seeks to reinvent itself, CNN
“Today, most of Florida’s former shuttle workers have found work, according to a recent survey conducted by Brevard Workforce, which receives state and federal funding to help these highly skilled workers find jobs. Of the 5,690 former shuttle workers who responded to the survey, 57% said they are working, while the remaining 43% are either retired or unemployed. Of the 3,234 who said they have found employment, most of them, 72%, say they are working in Florida. Florida authorities say they’ve made steps toward transforming the Space Coast into more than just a launch site for shuttles. That, according to the state’s Space Coast Economic Development Commission, has helped “put a serious dent” in Brevard County’s unemployment rate, which is 9%.”
United Space Alliance To Layoff 148 In September, Brevard Times
“NASA Space Shuttle Program contractor United Space Alliance has announced that it will layoff 148 employee on September 28, 2012, according to recent documents filed with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.”

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.

6 responses to “Putting the Florida Shuttle Team Back to Work”

  1. Steve Whitfield says:
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    The wheels on the bus go ’round and ’round…

    I wonder how much worry and (constructive) help the many thousands of other unemployed Americans are getting these days, compared to the former Shuttle workers. I feel for the Shuttle people, I do, but government and the media treating them like an elite group is only going work against them eventually. Making them a special case is only going to alienate them from the rest of the working class people, especially the unemployed/underemployed, some of whom have been so for far longer than the Shuttle people have been out of a job.

     Steve

    • no one of consequence says:
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      When you do this for a living, its … everything. Envelops you. You want/need it to go on forever. Nothing like it.

  2. Ralphy999 says:
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    I remember when Brevard county was devastated by the lull between Apollo and the Space Shuttle in the 70’s. It was awful. You couldn’t hardly get a job flipping hamburgers during lunch time at Mickey D’s much less get 40 hours a week of gainful employment. NASA promised they wouldn’t let it happen again. To their credit this time, they did do a job fair/resume classes etc., which they did not do last time. Still, it hurts. If you are an older worker you are basically just flat out of luck. But I fault that also to our American culture in general. Anyway, I was told by my parents who worked at KSC in the 60’s and 70’s to NOT go to work for a NASA contractor under any circumstances. I didn’t and I am glad I followed their advice. I am near the end of my career now and I am still working (thankfully) and not worrying about the next space program starting up and if it will hire me again. I remain deeply interested in America’s space programs but merely as a hobby of sorts, certainly not as a way to make a living.  I would advise any young people to forget about contract work for NASA. It’s no way to make a living unless you have other money earning skill sets that are always in demand. Just my sincere thoughts and I wish the best for all of the former workers at KSC, JSC, etc.

    • no one of consequence says:
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      You (and your parents) are/were right.

      These numbers are far better than with Apollo/Saturn. Which is cold comfort.

      Here’s the tipoff to it happening again. A unsustainable LV that over consumes budget sets itself up for cancellation before its future replacement can be afforded.

      So we can avoid this by two LV’s with one phasing in while the other phases out. But this would mean competitive economics, which would not allow primes to stack the deck, and policy makers from meddling to cater to special interests – “un American”?

  3. Michael Spencer says:
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    I suppose that, like artists, those folks work for the magic.

  4. SpaceTeacher says:
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    Another sad fact of the space-less times. There is a danger that as NASA becomes less important to the state, it’s Congressional delagation will fight less for the space budget.