Personnel News: December 2009 Archives

Keith's 23 Dec note: IV&V had an unexpected visit from NASA's Chief of Safety and Mission Assurance Officer Bryan O'Connor today. He relieved Butch Caffall immediately of his duties as Facility Director of NASA IV&V and re-assigned him to NASA HQ "to work some technical issues for NASA starting early in January" according to an internal memo. Greg Blaney is acting IV&V Program Manager and IV&V Facility Director. IV&V employees had been expecting something to happen but this action was more abrupt and sudden than had been expected.

According to a NASA IV&V engineer: "The immediate re-assignment of the NASA IV&V director represents the end of modeling of NASA projects as part of our IV&V analysis. We have endured four years of spending IV&V funds on, what has been from the onset, an R&D effort to create a new method of doing IV&V using an independently built system reference model (UML based) of a space vehicle design based on Project artifacts. Its been costly in dollars and in performance. This R&D has taken countless man-hours away from our directive to find issues/problems with S/C FSW development."

Neil Hosenball NASA General Counsel, Washington Post

"S. Neil Hosenball, 84, the general counsel of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration from 1975 until his retirement in 1985, died Dec. 23 at his home in Arlington County. He had cancer. Mr. Hosenball was a 25-year veteran of the space agency, where he became the chief lawyer. He worked on treaties for the peaceful use of outer space, among other issues."

NASA Names New Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration

"Laurie Leshin has been named the new deputy associate administrator of the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, effective in January. Leshin previously served as the deputy center director for science and technology at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. She has led the formulation of strategy and the start of new missions since 2008 as Goddard's senior scientist, while providing extensive scientific guidance to lunar architecture and other human spaceflight planning activities."

NASA LaRC Poll: Helping People Feel Attractive and Lovable (#21), earlier post

Reader's note: I believe your posting in regard to this topic and the comments it has generated have missed the mark given that the original reason for this survey as conveyed in the e-mails announcing it has not been included. The real question that should be asked is what in the world does any of this have to do with the "Langley Message?"

Official NASA memo and instructions below:

Keith's note: Here is the recent survey put out by NASA Langley Management to LaRC employees in th past couple of weeks. People I have talked with at LaRC find this poll anything from humorous to silly to wondering how it is related to LaRC and the technical work that is supposedly at its core mission. Apparently message boards at LaRC are also abuzz with comments. The layout has been altered to protect the source and due to format limitations to send by e-mail. Draw your own conclusions and post whatever portion you wish. By the end I hope you feel attractive and lovable. (question 21)

Here is the poll:

NASA ARC Memo: FY2010 Buyout/Early Out Opportunity Now Open

"The buyout application period begins November 9, 2009, and will continue through 4:30 p.m., Friday, December 11, 2009. Acceptances/Rejections will be issued each Monday for applications received by the close of business on the preceding Friday. Although we expect that all interested persons can be accommodated, the number of opportunities is limited and varies by occupation and organization."