NASA's Non-Answer Regarding Virtual Space Academy Cancellation
NASA Kills Space Academy Procurement (Earlier post)
Editor’s note: On 3 June 2005 I sent an email regarding the cancellation of “Plan for Prioritizing Teacher Training, Integrating Existing Math and Engineering Education, and Exploring Options for Creating a Virtual Space Academy” asking “Why was this procurement activity cancelled? Will another one be issued?” I sent my request to Education AA Adena Loston, Acting PAO Chief Dean Acosta, and Joe Davis, AA for Strategic Communications. After 2 weeks I had received nothing and had to ask a second time. This is what I was sent today by Renee Juhans at PAO:
“As a result of funding constraints, NASA has decided to suspend all efforts toward the formulation of the Space Exploration Academy (SEA).”
Unfortunately, NASA cannot fund everything that we, and our many stakeholders, would like to implement. The Office of Education will reexamine its ongoing efforts and programs in an attempt to address the Commission’s recommendation within the resources currently available.
NASA remains committed to inspiring the next generation of explorers and training the next generation technical workforce. Without question, NASA’s Office of Education will continue to enhance educational programs and opportunities that will develop and attract students and teachers from the widest geographic and demographic backgrounds.”
Editor’s note: The first paragraph admits what I – and everyone else – already knew. The second paragraph admits the obvious, and the third is gratuitous PR filler. A lot of people put a huge amount of time into developing the Virtual Space Academy concept and many more spent a lot of effort preparing responses – and this is all NASA will say publicly?
The real problem – the one NASA won’t admit – is as follows:
According to a 10 May 2005 letter from Mike Griffin to Sen. Shelby (R-AL), education-related offsets in the NASA FY 2005 Operating Plan to pay for unrequested Congressional items (i.e. earmarks or “pork”) forced cut NASA’s education budget by $38 million.
Instead of resisting or negotiating earmarks, as was NASA’s practice in previous years, Mike Griffin decided in April to simply pay off anything Congress decided to inflict upon the agency – without question.
According to NASA Internal Memo: Enterprise Council (EC) ViTS 19 April 2005: “If earmarks from the Hill are legislated, we will release the money as soon as possible. He hates earmarks. We need to avoid earmarks in the first place or influence the earmark to benefit NASA work, but when we get them we need to fund them promptly. The bottom line is to honor earmarks when they are directed.”
In addition, informed sources note that Education AA Adena Loston did not use prudent fiscal planning in preparation for the inevitable funding of earmarks. Other organizations at NASA made plans in their budgets to handle earmarks such that they could eventually be paid. Loston did not do this. When Griffin ‘s directive to release funds to pay for earmarks reached her office she found that she had already spent too much to allow both earmarks and her remaining planned programs to be funded.
As such, the earmarks won. And now NASA is afraid to admit this.
NASA Kills Space Academy Procurement (Earlier post)
