Editor’s note: According to various sources at NASA, among the things being researched by NASA HQ staff in response to inquires by the Obama Transition Team (aka PETT) are: estimates of what it would take to terminate and/or fly the shuttle between FY 2010 and FY 2012; results of PA&E’s commercial crew/cargo study; a detailed look at authorized budgets vs actual appropriations (including un-obligated funds); possible lawsuits that NASA is […]

Obama Names OMB Director, Washington Post “[Peter R.] Orszag, 39, is director of the Congressional Budget Office, where he oversees a staff of 235 people who produce nonpartisan analyses of economic and policy issues. Orszag is widely respected for his work on how Americans receive medical care. Unlike many of his predecessors, who hewed closely to pure number-crunching, Orszag has carved out a niche as a leading international thinker on […]

NASA Calls for Comment on Draft Ares V Request for Proposals “NASA has released a draft request for proposals, or RFP, regarding Phase I of its Ares V launch vehicle. The rocket will perform heavy lift and cargo functions as part of the next generation of spacecraft that will return humans to the moon. Phase I will define operational concepts, develop requirements, and refine design concepts for the Ares V. […]

Citizenship 2.0, opinion, Washington Post “We’ve finally reached something of a left-right equilibrium in the dramatic restructuring of the public sphere that has been underway for the past decade. Against this background, on Nov. 4 the Obama campaign sent an e-mail to supporters from the president-elect signaling aspirations to convert the campaign’s success with social networking technologies into a tool not merely for winning but for good governance. Such a […]

Editor’s note: Dan Goldin’s official portrait has been delivered and is hanging somewhere on the 9th floor. Have a look: click for larger image.

Joe Six Pack and NASA “We all know by now that STS-126 astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper let go of a tool bag the other day during an EVA in space. A piece of hardware misbehaved, Heide had to deal with that and 19 other things – while item 20 was not getting her full attention and the bag drifted off. Something like this happens to people everyday at work or at […]

Confirmation of Political Appointees: Eliciting Nominees’ Views on Management Challenges within Agencies and across Government (NASA Excerpt), GAO “NASA is currently at a crossroad. In response to President Bush’s Vision for Space Exploration, the agency is in the midst of phasing out the Space Shuttle Program and beginning another major undertaking, the Constellation Program, which will create the next generation of spacecraft for human spaceflight. This is NASA’s biggest transition […]

Editor’s note: My business partner Marc just got a phone call from a concerned woman named “Elizabeth” in Minnesota. She said that she was “providing us with a news tip” that the “astronaut tool bag was just found on a golf course in Minnesota.” And guess what – it is now for sale on eBay! Hurry folks and get your bids in – this is a one of kind item […]

President 2.0, Newsweek “Obama’s transition team is already building an organization to carry on the Internet efforts begun during the campaign. On the stump, Obama laid out plans for a technology czar in his administration–a senior-level, or even cabinet-level, post that he promised would make his White House transparent and ultra-efficient. Obama has talked about streaming portions of cabinet meetings live on the Internet in order to reach more people, […]

Imagine reconnecting NASA, Alan Stern, The Space Review “The space program of the United States leads the world. It has produced more historic firsts, delivered more discoveries, and possesses more capability than any of our competitors. Yet, our space program does not enjoy the strong support it once did. A part of the reason for this is that the current program is too disconnected from everyday life and American society. […]