Fixing Potholes: Preparing For Transition Teams at NASA HQ
Keith’s note: Heads up NASA HQ 9th floor: Chris Christie is heading Donald Trump’s transition Team. You need to get to work on those pothole powerpoint slides, Charlie.
Potholes Trump Space In Trump Space Policy, earlier post
“[Trump’s] answers to Aerospace America’s questions align with comments he made during a campaign stop in Manchester, NH in November. There he offered what has become perhaps his most memorable remark about space exploration, that it is important, “but we have to fix our potholes.”
I wonder what the marine general would say to a Trump transition person? Would it be like Griffin with Garver?
“why do you want to look under the hood? Don’t you trust my numbers?”
LOL
I think the transition lead will say to the General something along the lines of “YOU’RE FIRED!”
I think the best plan is to keep things at NASA quiet and below the radar (except for things like new earth size planets discovered). It seems whenever a president or candidate speak about NASA, it’s either unfavorable or out of scope. It’s hard to think when they present a plan that gets broad support and not sound ridiculous to those that follow NASA. And also provide necessary funding for directed plans.
Are we talking about the President or Congress here?
Cheers
The “pothole” metaphor can fit a lot of things.
Presidents, Congressfolk, and most voters, are mostly uninformed about the impact of Space Exploration and tend to view NASA initiatives through a very short-sighted “what’s in it for me…now?” lens. For that reason I’d almost prefer that we elect a President that will make no promises concerning NASA and do nothing with NASA for his/her first year in office until they and their administration have had time to find their footing.
Plus, I like where things are going now and hopefully the first flights of Commercial Crew, the first several launches of Falcon Heavy and the launch of Red Dragon will all have occurred and changed the momentum of human spaceflight anyway before the new President and Congress get the itch to get in and fiddle with things. If that new President is Trump, then that would fit right in with his remarks. I think that neither he nor Clinton will be enthusiastic fans of SLS and other than that will keep things moving in the same direction.
My worry is for JWST. If it has any more cost or calendar overruns there might be a slim chance that Trump or Clinton could move to kill it. Congress would have to agree, but support for that program in Congress is already strained.
A better choice than his first candidate- namely his son-in-law, who is admittedly a very bright young man.
Christie is a guy with the ability to actually do a very difficult job. And given the choice I’d rather see Mr. Christie privy to state secrets than the relative.
I’d say not having crew access to the ISS from US soil is a pretty large pothole.