NASA Is Terminating The GISS Lease In Five Weeks
Keith’s Update from additional sources: During an extensive independent review of GISS (and NSSTC) ending in December 2024 it was concluded that it would cost NASA (and GSA) much more to try to terminate the current GISS lease – and that while also doing there would be massive damage to ongoing research going on. This move won’t safe DOGE or anyone else anything. Quite the contrary. Keith’s earlier note: This was just sent to all NASA Goddard and GISS employees by Makenzie Lystrup: “Dear Colleagues: As you likely know, the administration is currently examining all government leases. As a result, NASA’s lease of Columbia University’s Armstrong Hall in New York City, home to the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, will end effective May 31, 2025.”
I am currently in New York – along with Goddard and Earth Science Division leadership – to meet directly with our GISS colleagues. We will provide the support necessary for employees to transition to remote work agreements in the short-term as the agency seeks a new, permanent space for the team.
GISS has a significant place in the history of space science, for decades leading groundbreaking work in understanding planetary atmospheres and systems – especially that of our own Earth. And while the lease is ending, the Institute’s mission continues. The work of the GISS team is considered critical for the Earth Science Division, particularly as the Division looks to the future of its modeling work and capabilities.“
Sincerely,
Makenzie
Dr. Makenzie Lystrup
Center Director
8 responses to “NASA Is Terminating The GISS Lease In Five Weeks”
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I’m very curious if the anti-semitic protests there had this negative impact on GISS?
I’m pretty sure the protests against genocide had nothing to do with this.
I don’t think Hamas will erase every Jewish person from the planet, although they really took a shot on October 7. However, if Iran gets nukes, that might be a different story.
The administration is basically canceling all leases. This will happen to HQ as well. This is not tied to peaceful protesting towards a genocide. Mentioning it discredits the fact that the administration doesn’t know what it’s doing.
You may want to dig a little deeper and see if the pro-terrorist protests are related to this closure. Here, check out your favorite news source: https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/24/climate/nasa-lease-canceled-columbia/index.html
Any idea what will happen to these employees? I think there are 150-200 folks there. Most have deep roots in the community and have been there for years, if not decades.
Any large enough empty Federal office space in NYC they could be moved into? Or could Columbia substantially lower the lease rate to keep them?
Back in 2018, they had 154 employees, of that 29 are civil servants. Link: https://oig.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/IG-18-015.pdf
Latest word I heard (as in, yesterday) about the GISS/Armstrong Hall lease is that GSA cannot terminate the lease without serious financial penalty, so they haven’t done so yet. So NASA may be pulling out of the deal and theoretically saving the agency money, but your friendly US gov’t may still be on the hook for 3 million per year until 2031.
It’s not clear to me what the conditions are on the lease, but if GISS is not in the building, and if Columbia finally decides they’re tired of getting screwed over, then then taxpayers will be ponying up the cash for empty office space for the next 6 years.