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Space & Planetary Science

Scolese: Webb Cost Overrun was a "Hiccup"

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
February 3, 2014
Filed under , , , ,

Keith’s update: As you will see below this just got sillier when NASA GSFC PAO responded.

NASA GSFC PAO tweeted this – they won’t discuss or admit what Scolese said but instead they want to use a Jedi mind trick to make what he said just go away.

Keith’s update: Ball tries to stick its foot into this Twitter discussion – then they make a marketing quip, say it wasn’t their fault, and stick their head in the sand. My bad the Tweet from Ball came on the heels of my Twitter exchange with GSFC PAO but the Tweets form Ball were actually referring to the comment made during the event about the similarity between mirror segment containers and the seed pods in the film “Alien”. Again, my bad.

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

25 responses to “Scolese: Webb Cost Overrun was a "Hiccup"”

  1. Hug Doug ✓ᵛᵉʳᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ says:
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    sounds like a bit of sardonic humor to me.

    • sunman42 says:
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      Exactly. Knowing what a major crisis JWST funding and schedule were in the Agency and at Goddard, it was clear Mr. Scolese was exercising hyperbole, a figure of speech. The overruns have still gutted every part of space science.

      • kcowing says:
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        Scolese is clueles – and tone deaf.

        • sunman42 says:
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          My interpretation stands until you have documented proof that Mr .Scolese didn’t know what he was taking about. Meanwhile, lighten up a kittle, Keith.

          • Gonzo_Skeptic says:
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            Meanwhile, lighten up a kittle, Keith.

            Uh huh.

            Billion dollar eff-up beasts are such great sources of levity. The real knee-slapper is that all those scientists who were planning on missions that JWST ate now need to go find something else to study, or maybe just find a new career.

            And many of the NASA managers who were responsible for the fiasco are still working the program. Whooda thunk that was possible??

            * boom tish *

          • Hug Doug ✓ᵛᵉʳᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ says:
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            do you know what the definition of “sardonic” is?

          • Gonzo_Skeptic says:
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            do you know what the definition of “sardonic” is?

            Yes.

            Do you know what “humor” is??

          • Hug Doug ✓ᵛᵉʳᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ says:
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            yes. would you prefer to laugh or cry?

  2. Gonzo_Skeptic says:
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    Everyone working on JWST knows that if it was not for Mikulski, the project would have been taken behind the proverbial congressional budget barn and shot a long time ago. JWSTers should immediately petition the White House to change the name of the project to the Barbara Mikulski Space Telescope. It only lives because of her.

    • Rocky J says:
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      The last thing we need to do is start naming spacecraft, probes or telescopes after politicians. Let’s not. Craters – plenty of them, let’s find one for Mikulski. But the choice of Webb is sadly lost on this telescope. The way JWST has been managed is a disgrace to its namesake. Webb is considered one of the best administrators/managers of NASA. It should be recalled that he had no technical/scientific background. Being an astronaut or holding a half dozen advanced degrees is not a prerequisite for the job.

      In response to Hug Doug, below, Scolese was way off base to make his statement. I agree with other comments that JWST has been a disaster to the astrophysics and planetary science funding, other projects and to careers. Inappropriate not even as sardonic humor. And any spoken comment like this is lost in translation when distilled to text. Insulting, in poor taste or as Keith said, clueless. Scolese should suck it up and retract the statement.

      • Hug Doug ✓ᵛᵉʳᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ says:
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        There’s a difference between “a joke” and “sardonic humor.” My choice of words was very deliberate and carefully considered. JWST cost overruns can be considered a little hiccup like WWII can be considered a minor conflict. It is very serious. If he was indeed being blase about the matter, that’s something else. Without further context, just given the quote, this seems to be a case of morbid humor. Some people just don’t get sarcasm and take everything at face value, which is of course ridiculous.

        This is why I hate it when people use brief quotes and take them out of context. In this case, just six words. That’s hardly a “statement.” Context would have been appreciated. Was it in response to a question? Was it off the cuff? Did the audience chuckle? Was it a lighthearted quip? Was it said ironically? Or just as a matter of fact? What were the sentences before and after this snippet of a quote?

        A retraction is hardly necessary in this case. Don’t be absurd. No one should have to apologize for every comment they make, whether it’s in poor taste or not.

        • Gonzo_Skeptic says:
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          Some people just don’t get sarcasm…

          Sarcasm? Sardonic humor? Poor taste?

          Scolese is one of the big dogs responsible for this mess. It’s good to know that he can find some kind of humor in it because a lot of people think it’s not funny, especially those whose careers and lives have been wrecked by his management team.

          “I think we’ve hit a bit of ice,” said the captain of the Titanic.

        • Denniswingo says:
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          As long as Barbara Mikulski lives and breathes, this kind of stuff will happen at GSFC. One day this will no longer be so, and then it will not be good for that center.

      • Gonzo_Skeptic says:
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        The last thing we need to do is start naming spacecraft, probes or telescopes after politicians.

        Think about it. What politician is going to allow their namesake to be killed? They will fight like a rabid wolverine over a piece of meat to keep it going. I rest my case.

  3. Gonzo_Skeptic says:
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    Scolese saying that the budget issues on JWST were just a “little hiccup” is like saying that Mr.Creosote in Monty Python’s “The Meaning of Life” just had a little “hiccup”.

  4. Wendy Yang says:
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    Teacher: Today, class, let’s learn about the literary device “understatement”.
    (No, really, that’s what we learned in English class today.)

  5. jamesmuncy says:
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    What I take away from this is that Andrew Gasser and Tea Party in Space’s criticism of JWST apparently registered with Senator Barb, since she is taking credit for saving JWST from the Tea Party.

    • kcowing says:
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      I doubt Andrew Gasser or TPIS even registers with Mikulski. The issue was discussed in a broader context.

    • Gonzo_Skeptic says:
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      …since she is taking credit for saving JWST from the Tea Party.

      FYI she actually did. Several times.

  6. guest says:
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    No – actually, those who know Scolese, and the history on this – know that he was the senior NASA official in charge of JWST when “this little hiccup” occurred. That is how he viewed it at the time, and obviously still does today. He has only worked in government and believes the tax-payers should keep paying for these projects no matter the cost – just because they are hard and NASA is somehow entitled. Of course the overruns developed over years and got worse and worse and Scolese led the cover-up to keep the truth from Congress and the new Obama Administration. Bolden looked the other way for as long as possible too.
    Mikuslki should realize that she has had to work so hard to keep Webb because of Scolese – she should not be praising him.

  7. Paul451 says:
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    “Webb Cost Overrun was a “Hiccup”

    Weird. I though the idea that drunks hiccuped was a myth.

    “(hic) Jus’ one more fe’ th’ road… betta make it a double… (hic)”

  8. MDAT says:
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    1.6 billion original price estimate.

    A few hiccups later…..

    8.8 billion current price estimate.

    One big hiccup.

    • Vladislaw says:
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      “in the mid-1990s, NASA leaders pushed for a space telescope with low-cost and 8 meter primary mirror diameter.[21] The result was plans for a NGST for $500 million, 8 meter aperture, and located at L2.”

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wik

  9. AgingWatcher says:
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    More of a Grade 10 belch, really…