The NASA/Big Aerospace Revolving Door Still Operates
Former NASA Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot Joins Lockheed Martin
“Robert Lightfoot, a longtime NASA executive who served as both the agency’s acting administrator and highest-ranking civil servant, will join Lockheed Martin Space as vice president, Strategy and Business Development, effective May 6. In his new role, Lightfoot will lead strategic planning, advanced technology concepts, and new business strategy for the corporation’s Space business area. Lockheed Martin Space is a $9 billion, 18,000-person enterprise that has been a leader in satellite and launch systems since the dawn of the space age. The business area’s programs include GPS, missile warning and communications satellites for the Department of Defense; human and robotic exploration systems for NASA; weather and commercial communications satellites, and strategic missile and missile defense systems.”
![NASA GSFC ETD Is [insert buzzword] Itself](https://nasawatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/GSFC-ETD-1024x573.png)
This is one of the reasons we never get anything new done in crewed spaceflight in the US. The usual suspects get all the big sole source, cost plus, contracts as part of the “good old boys” network. Everyone knows everyone else and gives each other pats on the back for a “good effort”.
I get that there is a concern that there are often issues with the optics of the “revolving door.” It’s not all that unusual for former NASA employees to end up in the private sector. But it seems a bit unfair to assume that someone who worked for NASA will lose his/her soul to the “good old boys network.” I know of plenty of NASA alumni who are doing admirable work in the space sector. Would there be as much angst if Robert would have gone to SpaceX or Blue Origin? If someone wants to remain active in the space sector after leaving government service, where should they go that would be acceptable?
That all depends on what the private sector job is about. If it were an engineer going from designing NASA research spacecraft to building communications satellites, it wouldn’t be an issue. In this case, the new job is “lead strategic planning, advanced technology concepts, and new business strategy for the corporation’s Space business area… The business area’s programs include… human and robotic exploration systems for NASA…” At best, that means LMA wants someone with lots of experience at how the system works, to help them work the system and get as much federal money as they can.
Which would happen no matter what company he went to. I didn’t realize there was a Space Sector Police to enforce where a person could work and what kind of job they could pursue.
It’s not a space issue. There are laws about civil servants, in general, leaving government work and taking jobs as lobbyists. I’m not sure about the current details, but around 1990, it involved a ban on taking such a job for five years (I think it was five) after leaving government service. I suppose it’s legal in this case (since they would have checked.) But going directly from running NASA to being in charge of a major company’s “new business strategy” towards NASA programs does sound a little close to the line.
It is true this is not just a space issue. However, in most cases, after one year, a former federal employee can take a job in the private sector. Any individual would be wise to check all applicable ethics rules with the General Counsel at both the previous agency and the company offering the position. You may not like it, but it’s not against the law. Also, Mr. Lightfoot is not going to be a lobbyist for LM.
The details on post-NASA employment are available here: https://www.nasa.gov/office…
The TL;DR: (1) a lifetime ban on representing the new employer to the US government on matters the person worked on while a NASA employee, (2) a two year ban on any representation to the US government (lobby, sales, marketing, whatever) in any matter where the former employee had supervisory responsibilities (generally interpreted very broadly, including CORs), and (3) for people at the Lightfoot (SES) level, a one-year “cooling off” period during which the former employee can’t represent the new employer the the government on any matter.
There are exceptions if the new employer is a state or local government, &c.
Note that this announcement comes one year after Mr. Lightfoot’s retirement from NASA, so (3) has been fulfilled.
That still needs to be an individual decision. We live in a country where individuals have the freedom to chose where they want to work and who they want to work for. Fortunately, people who leave NASA don’t have to seek permission of space advocates on what they do next with their careers.
Ooohh, had to get that ‘space advocate’ (i.e. not a “real” space person) dig in, eh? You could have just said taxpayers.
Of course it is an individual’s decision to take or not take a job. And it is a company’s decision to offer or not offer sinecures to ex-government employees.
It is also a citizen’s right in this country (since, you know, we’re the ones actually paying for all this) to express unhappiness when the system appears to be worked to provide advantages to the already advantaged. Especially when there are so few actual results for so much reward. I’d be much, much happier if my tax dollars were being spent for real economic development for the nation (like infrastructure, q.v. my cislunar econosphere article), and not for featherbedding for the connected and well-to-do.
Appearance is important.