Acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro ‘Embrace The Challenge’ Update June 6, 2025
Keith’s note: This week Janet (or which ever of her handlers writes these things) starts with lots of happy news about NASA. And she ads a pretty picture of the sun. The real issue of interest to employees i.e. layoffs – does not even come up until halfway through her missive. She is afraid to use the word “layoff“ or the acronym “RIF”. The most edgy word she can use is “uncertainty” followed by word salad mumbo jumbo about “streamlining” and “restructuring” and saying that NASA will use more A.I. after you have been fired. One third of you NASA folks (and even more contractors) are going to be job hunting this summer while the rest of you defend your jobs so that others can get laid off. When do we start the long process of saying goodbye to such a large part of the NASA family? Oh well, here’s this week’s “Embrace The Challenge” newsletter:
Our work continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible. This week, the PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission released its first images of coronal mass ejections in astonishing detail – offering scientists a clearer understanding of space weather and how it shapes our solar system. When all four spacecraft reach final formation, we’ll have an unprecedented 3D view of space weather in the inner solar system. It’s a reminder that even as we navigate internal changes, our mission doesn’t pause.
Across NASA, work continues at pace:
- The X-59 quiet supersonic demonstrator aircraft marked another major milestone on the way to first flight as the NASA Armstrong Airworthiness and Flight Safety Review Board conducted an examination of its planned flight and ground tests. The board’s initial review focused on residual safety risk and risks to mission success. It will continue its assessments in the coming days.
- NASA announced winners for Phase 1 of the LunaRecycle Challenge, recognizing novel designs for recycling material waste during lunar missions. The winning concepts included an automated solution that turns food packaging waste into 3) printing material, a system that combines discarded foam and lunar dust into composite materials and aluminum parts, a technology that turns bulk thermoplastic waste into fabrics, and more.
- Teams on the ground and our astronauts aboard the International Space Station continued preparations this week for the Axiom 4 mission. Originally scheduled to launch earlier this week, the team stood down from launch opportunities due to weather and to repair a liquid oxygen leak aboard the Falcon 9. The space station team is also working with Roscosmos to evaluate a recent post-repair effort in the Zvezda service module, ahead of rescheduling launch.
- More progress towards next year’s Artemis II mission: Astronauts Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch worked with instructors on a simulated ascent for their flight around the Moon, while NASA and Department of Defense crews teamed up in Florida to practice emergency rescue procedures for the flight.
- Cosmic Dawn, a new NASA+ original documentary, debuted on Wednesday, June 11, chronicling the 25-year journey of the James Webb Space Telescope. Featuring never-before-seen footage and personal stories from across the agency, the film is a powerful reminder of what we can accomplish when we work as one NASA. It’s now streaming on NASA+, YouTube, and in select theaters.
I also want to speak about where we are as an agency.
NASA is in a period of transition, and with that can come a degree of uncertainty. I, along with the leadership team, remain committed to keeping you informed and supported every step of the way.
As we position NASA for long-term success, we will undertake a series of organizational changes to optimize our operations and align with future priorities. These efforts will be grounded in our Workforce Optimization Plan and will be guided by legal, regulatory, and stakeholder engagement processes.
Following the offering of the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP) with Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA) and Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP), our next steps will focus on restructuring and modernizing how we deliver on NASA’s mission. Your leaders have worked to balance two important priorities: giving employees time to make informed choices and being transparent about where the agency is heading. That’s why the agency moved forward with the DRP window now – before all the details of our future structure and funding are known. Waiting for complete certainty would have left little time for planning and would have narrowed the options available to you.
My goal is to select and begin implementing a restructuring plan by the end of the fiscal year – reflecting what we know at that time, particularly the skills and capacity we retain when the DRP window closes in late July.
We’ve developed draft organizational concepts that look at how we can:
- Streamline organizational lines to improve integration and reduce redundancy.
- Delegate decision authority to the lowest possible level to increase velocity and reduce costs.
- Divest underused NASA-held properties and align certain functions geographically with where the work is executed.
- Increase our reliance on advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, to support both mission and business operations.
These concepts are still intentionally in development. Implementation will also be shaped by the resources Congress appropriates. Once the agency has a clearer picture of our resources, each organization will strategically assess its staffing to ensure we’re positioned to carry out our mission effectively. That means roles may change in some ways, and employees may shift offices or reporting structures.
While change is rarely straightforward, it can also be a time for growth. I encourage supervisors and employees alike to use this moment to identify opportunities for upskilling that keep your careers and our mission moving forward.
We are committed to leading this transition with respect, transparency, and care for our people.
Please take time to explore the resources available, attend your organization’s information sessions, and reach out to your supervisor or Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO) representative with questions.
Finally, please save the date: On Wednesday, June 25, when Vanessa, Casey, Brian, and I will host in agencywide town hall to provide updates on our mission, the budget, reorganization, anc ransition planning. I’m looking forward to your questions and the chance to speak with yor directly.
Embrace the Challenge,
Janet
16 responses to “Acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro ‘Embrace The Challenge’ Update June 6, 2025”
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TLDR: We are still firing people. We hope people take the DRP/VERA/VISP or it is gonna be awkward when we fire people. We feel obligated to say something, but told ChatGPT to say it without really saying it. Oh and we are doing some cool things at NASA.
But seriously, how much money did making everyone read this at NASA cost the tax payers? I have a suggestion to submit to the agency for streamlining operations: Shorter emails getting to the point. Not all these buzz words:
Streamline organizational lines
Improve integration
Reduce redundancy
Delegate decision authority
Increase velocity
Sincerely,
Challenge Embracer
(Thanks Keith for all that you do)
Do NASA folks even know what “Cool Things” are happening? When talking to folks in the private sector, they’re oblivious about what NASA does. They see it as a waste of tax payer money. Trying to be an advocate for NASA is becoming tiresome.
I feel horrid for NASA
In light of your commitment to transparency, Janet, when do employees get to see the “Workforce Optimization Plan?”
Janet oh Janet, the people of NASA have already lost faith in your leadership, or the lack there of leadership. Not only you, but many of the heads of NASA departments. A once agency that was recognized as “the best place to work in the federal government” to one of the worst. Your employees are worried about their livelihoods, not just their jobs. How about embracing the challenge of being transparent to your folks?
One of the sad things about all her newsletters is they don’t seem to recognize the irony: many (maybe all) of these kinds of achievements she talks about are going to be things of the past. The new NASA budget eviscerates future missions to extend NASA’s ability to extend (and deepen) these efforts. As for her word salad mumbo jumbo, it looks as if the use of AI at NASA has already started.
Much of this reminds me of Soviet/Russia presentation of their space program. While there were accomplishments, much was embellished with great artwork. Getting into the details reveals most of the programs were lash-up, payoffs, favors to certain officials. Lack of a strong industrial infrastructure and facilities of poor working conditions. We see this more at NASA where human spaceflight continues good funding while everything else NASA does is taking a hit.
In essence, there is no leadership now to fight for NASA, and just blindly follow what the WH and OBM are dictating.
We need a permanent Administrator- Yesterday!!!!
As in follow the chain of command? Perhaps you don’t understand. Disagreement occurs in private. Carrying out lawful orders is what is required of the Administrator and all levels below. Otherwise, it’s insubordination. “…well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office” does not mean just the things you agree with.
She could also retire on principle. Leaders do things like that.
True, as other leaders across the federal government have to zero effect. Staying and fighting behind the scenes is the nobler, if unappreciated, approach.
arly on it looks like she, and others, were able to moderate the situation (not having to fire probationary employees, etc). But, alas, not more. Based on the budget the White House released, fighting behind the scenes no longer seems to have any effect. At this point I agree with Keith; once she realized that, she should have resigned (I like that word better than retired) or outright defied what she was asked to do (an argument can be made that Congress provides the funding and direction, not the White House) and forced them to fire her. Then she should have helped lead the fight to stop the carnage from outside.
That’s not leadership… the Administrator runs the agency to accomplish the President’s vision. They don’t just do what they want. People voted for a reduction in Gov, that’s what they’re getting.
If you don’t like the direction the agency is going, vote for a different administration. But stop acting like it’s your way or the highway. You may not like what the people voted for but elections have consequences.
What Trump is doing is not reducing government so much as evicerating it. It’s not the same thing.
Janet needs to blink twice and let us know she’s not under duress.
It must be tough to have to make a career decision when you’re not sure if you are going to be RIFed, your program cut, center functions shifted elsewhere or nothing is going to impact you.
Chaos is what project 2025 and their ilk want so Petro is being a dutiful collaborator for their end game
Good luck to all at the agency
There is no transparency because there is no leadership
There has not been ANY NASA leadership in decades so Petro’s abilities or support is not much different than her predecessors. The lack of NASA leadership is the reason for so many programs so far over budget and so far behind schedule.
NASA has needed a course correction, it is long overdue; and finally there is some leadership now being shown to make changes. It would have been better for NASA to figure out the changes they needed to make but in lieu of NASA doing its job others are being brought in to do so.
There were some smart, well educated, experienced people in NASA’s higher ranks but I think they have mostly left; many 10-20 years ago.
The communications function is a good example; lots of people, just as many as in Apollo days yet few products and an internet presence that was and is confusing and impossible to use. Human spaceflight; can they explain the need for a station out in cislunar space 10s of thousands of miles from the Moon (other than a parking place for an underpowered Orion)? When the NASA Administrator was asked he had no answer. With all those rocket engineers how did we get an underpowered Orion? Mars sample return? Probably decades further off if left to NASA; maybe Space X will do better?