Keith’s note: according to a NASA IT outreach agencywide email sent on 6 Feb 2025: “NASA is tracking several executive orders and guidance from the Office of Personnel Management, on of which is titled “Defending Women”. NASA intends to comply with the executive order and guidance, in part, through the action below. … In response to the Executive Orders, NASA has disabled features in id.nasa.gov and Teams that allow users to add pronouns in their display name in Microsoft outlook and Teams.” Full memo below.
(more…)Keith’s note: according to the Washington Post: Judge pauses federal worker buyout offer deadline: “A federal judge in Massachusetts paused the deadline for the Trump administration’s buyout program for federal workers Thursday afternoon, two days after unions representing more than 800,000 federal workers asked the court to halt the program, calling it an “arbitrary, unlawful, short-fused ultimatum. U.S. District Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. set another hearing for Monday at 2 p.m. for full arguments.”
(more…)Keith’s note: There is yet another version of the NASA buyout / deferred resignation form being distributed to NASA personnel – dated 4 Feb 2025. Look at item 14. Document below.
(more…)Keith’s note: Whatever buyout decision you make is the right one. Ad Astra to all of the NASA family.
(more…)Keith’s note: The mention of “NASA” in news articles has been limited (so far) – as has been the case for many other government agencies. But the Administration’s plans clearly include all government employees.
- Federal layoffs ‘likely’ if too few employees choose to quit, memo says, Washington Post: “At town hall meetings Tuesday afternoon, National Science Foundation leadership warned hundreds of their employees of a significant layoff coming in the next few months, according to three NSF employees who shared details of those meetings on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak. People at the meetings said that while they were not specifically encouraged to take the deferred resignation option, they were reminded that it was available, with a deadline of Thursday.”
- USAID Memo: “On Friday, February 7, 2025, at 11:59 pm (EST) all USAID direct hire personnel will be placed on administrative leave globally, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs. Essential personnel expected to continue working will be informed by Agency leadership by Thursday, February 6, at 3:00pm (EST).”
Keith’s note: It looks like the NASAPRS “NASA Task Book is down for maintenance” according to its website at https://taskbook.nasaprs.com/. It has been offline since last week. Have a look at these two papers I found rather quickly that use a forbidden DEIA word. I’ll bet they are not there when this resource comes back online. I have an archive online here at Astrobiology.com
- NASA Spaceline Current Awareness List #1,111 2 August 2024 (Space Life Science Research Results) “Asrar FM, Bolles D, Ngo-Anh TJ. Healthcare can learn from space exploration to champion disability inclusion. Commun Med (Lond). 2024 Jul 25;4(1):147.Note: From the abstract: “People with disabilities, including healthcare professionals, encounter many obstacles. The space sector is taking steps towards promoting equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility, including developing the world’s first parastronaut program. Here, we propose that healthcare can learn from space in enhancing disability inclusion.” This article may be obtained online without charge.”
- NASA Spaceline Current Awareness List #1,078 8 December 2023 (Space Life Science Research Results): “Mandt KE. Increasing diversity on spacecraft mission teams reduces risk.Science. 2023 Dec 8;382(6675):eadk7373. Online ahead of print. Journal Impact Factor: 56.9″
Keith’s note: This document was being distributed on Monday, 3 February 2025. Full text below
(more…)Keith’s note: Here are my two tweets to the NASA world today. The professional organizations that supposedly support NASA and the space community are too sheepish to stand up and say anything. And the people in the NASA community are scared of standing up to say anything. It’s a perfect storm of silence. Ad Astra y’all,
(more…)Keith’s note: NASA PAO just sent this important clarification on science advisory groups to Marcia Smith @SpcPlcyOnline – but not to other media (see below). It would seem that NASA PAO and OCOMMS are simply clueless as to how external media sources are trying to get messages out regarding things that are going on – in a way that NASA cannot. If NASA is too lazy to be smart and proactive about this then why should we bother? Be certain to follow @SpcPlcyOnline to catch the things @NASAWatch is not provided with. Ad Astra y’all. Update: I finally got a response from PAO late Monday night. Apparently you can only get certain information of direct relevance to the entire NASA family if you ask for it. PAO will not proactively release this information to all media.
(more…)Keith’s note: Two weeks: Waiting to see if/when these Space-oriented organizations (list below) respond to newly announced personnel and diversity policy actions directly affecting NASA. Or not. They are just going to let this all happen. If y’all can’t be bothered to speak up then why should I bother?
(more…)Keith’s note: Have a look at “CDC Researchers Ordered to Retract Papers Submitted to All Journals“ at MedPage which says “In the order, CDC researchers were instructed to remove references to or mentions of a list of forbidden terms: Gender …” OK, so that apparently means a lot of NASA scientific research needs to be retracted too. It took 60 seconds and a simple word search to find these papers at PubMed containing at least one term forbidden in CDC papers:
- Sex-specific cardiovascular adaptations to simulated microgravity in Sprague-Dawley rat
- Women in space: A review of known physiological adaptations and health perspectives
- Spaceflight induces changes in gene expression profiles linked to insulin and estrogen
- Adaptation to full weight-bearing following disuse in rats: The impact of biological sex on musculoskeletal recovery
Keith’s note: NASA Science Mission Directorate sent this memo out today: “As NASA continues to review and ensure compliance with presidential actions, we are requesting that you please pause all meetings and activities of Planetary Science Analysis/Assessment Groups. This includes ExMAG, LEAG, MAPSIT, MEPAG, MExAG, OPAG, OWWG, SBAG, VEXAG, the cross-AG EDIA Working Group, and any other groups or activities that have been developed by the AGs. Please make your communities aware of this request. If you are no longer the chair of one of these AGs or AG-associated groups, please let me know so I can ensure the appropriate folks receive this information.”
(more…)Keith’s note: this memo was sent out by NASA on 29 January 2025: “Dear NASA Grants Community On January 23, 2025, NASA’s Office of Procurement (OP) released a memorandum for the NASA contractor and grant community regarding Executive Order “Initial Recission of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions” and the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) memorandum “Initial Guidance Regarding DEIA Executive Orders.” Per OP’s memo, NASA grant and cooperative agreement recipients shall immediately cease and desist all DEIA activities required for their award. This work may include but is not limited to: DEIA plan requirements, training, workshops, reporting, considerations for staffing, or any other direct or indirect grant activity related to DEIA. All grant recipients shall notify their cognizant Grant Officer if they identify requirements within their awards that are in violation of this guidance. Your Grant Officer’s contact information can be found on your NF 1687, Notice of Award for Grant and Cooperative Agreement (NOA). Thank you for your work and partnership with NASA.”
(more…)Keith’s note: According to Asteroid Bennu Sample Reveals A Mix Of Life’s Ingredients from NASA: “Studies of rock and dust from asteroid Bennu delivered to Earth by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security–Regolith Explorer) spacecraft have revealed molecules that, on our planet, are key to life, as well as a history of saltwater that could have served as the “broth” for these compounds to interact and combine. The findings do not show evidence for life itself, but they do suggest the conditions necessary for the emergence of life were widespread across the early solar system, increasing the odds life could have formed on other planets and moons.”
- Discoveries from Asteroid Bennu: Media Briefing Graphics, NASA
- Traces Of Ancient Brine Discovered On Asteroid Bennu Contain Minerals Crucial To Life , Smithsonian
- Dust From asteroid Bennu: Building Blocks Of Life And Possible Habitats Were Widespread In Our Solar System, Goethe University Frankfurt
- Exploring The Mysteries Of Asteroid Bennu, Berkeley Lab
- Pristine Asteroid Samples Reveal Secrets Of The Ancient Solar System, Curtin University
- Life’s Building Blocks Discovered In Samples From Asteroid Bennu, Hokkaido University
- More posts about Asteroid Bennu, Astrobiology.com
Keith’s note: Sorry for the whiplash: the OMB memo regarding a freezing of government payments has now been rescinded. For now. Let’s see what NASA posts. This was posted yesterday. Confused yet? OMB Q&A Regarding Memorandum M-25-13.
(more…)Keith’s note: According to multiple news sources the Trump Administration is going to offer buyouts to nearly all Federal employees. Employees will be given the option of accepting buyouts through a “deferred resignation” program – but only if they resign by 6 Feb 2025. Employees taking the buyout will get pay / benefits through 30 Sept 2025. UPDATE: Here is the Memo: “Deferred Resignation Email to Federal Employees https://www.opm.gov/fork Below is the email that was sent to federal employees on January 28, 2025 presenting a deferred resignation offer. If you did not respond to that email and wish to accept the deferred resignation offer, you may do so by following these steps.”
Keith’s note: The National Space Council is being discontinued. The upcoming NASA Advisory Council meeting in February has been cancelled. The incoming NASA team will stack the new NAC with sycophants. The same goes for the ASAP (Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel). The UAG (Users Advisory Group) will continue as a thank-you to political and industry supporters and will continue to be useless – except when policy rubber stamping and/or dog & pony show moments with pretty backdrops are needed. This has only begun. Ad Astra y’all.
(more…)Keith’s note: according to the OMB memo “Temporary Pause of Agency Grant, Loan, and Other Financial Assistance Programs”: “To implement these orders, each agency must complete a comprehensive analysis of all of their Federal financial assistance programs to identify programs, projects, and activities that may be implicated by any of the President’s executive orders. In the interim, to the extent permissible under applicable law, Federal agencies must temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal. This temporary pause will provide the Administration time to review agency programs and determine the best uses of the funding for those programs consistent with the law and the President’s priorities. The temporary pause will become effective on January 28, 2025, at 5:00 PM. Even before completing their comprehensive analysis, Federal agencies must immediately identify any legally mandated actions or deadlines for assistance programs arising while the pause remains in effect. Federal agencies must report this information to OMB along with an analysis of the requirement. OMB also directs Federal agencies to pause all activities associated with open NOFOs, such as conducting merit review panels.” Update: A Federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s pause on Federal funding until at least 3 Feb. Further update: OMB Memo About Payment Freeze Rescinded
(more…)Keith’s note: According to “OMB memo Guidance on Implementing President Trump’s Executive Order titled, “Restoring Accountability To Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce”: “On January 20, 2025, the President signed an Executive Order entitled, “Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce (“Restoring Accountability”).” This Executive Order reinstates and amends Executive Order 13957 of October 21, 2020. It creates a new Schedule Policy/Career in the excepted service for positions that are of a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy advocating character (policy-influencing positions) and filled by individuals not normally subject to replacement or change as a result of a Presidential transition. Such career positions will be rescheduled into Schedule Policy/Career and thereby exempted from the adverse action procedures set forth in chapter 75 of title 5 of the United States Code.”
(more…)Keith’s note: Those of you who’ve been involved with NASA for a while may remember that NASA Watch began as “NASA RIF Watch” in 1996 (original post). Back then it was mostly personnel things regarding a much, much less evil and pervasive job loss threat. That subsided and “NASA Watch” continued and expanded its purview. Now, 29 years later, there is more about layoffs and personnel issues on the main page than at any time since I started this thing. I would not have imagined that this would be the case. I had hoped to turn this damn thing off this year – but I guess it is still relevant.
(more…)