What NASA loses without a permanent leader, The Verge “Despite the backlash to Bridenstine’s politician status, being the NASA administrator means mostly working with politicians, says Garver. “I do think it is more a political job than an engineering job. Neither Charlie [Bolden] nor I did any engineering,” she says. “You can’t be an astrophysicist and a propulsion engineer; you got to trust your people to do that. Being able […]

Transition Fever, Lori Garver, Op Ed, SpaceNews “The bottom line is that we in the space community can’t have it both ways. We can’t take the public’s money, but then not allow the leaders they elect to have any say about NASA’s direction. While the multi-year process of getting both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue to agree on NASA programs and budgets may be frustrating, that is the “price” we pay […]

Former NASA official: NASA must shed “socialist” approach to space exploration, Ars Technica “NASA was a very symbol of capitalist ideals when we went to the Moon and beat the Russians,” [Lori Garver] said. “Now what we’re working with is more of a socialist plan for space exploration, which is just anathema to what this country should be doing. Don’t try to compete with the private sector. Incentivize them by […]

“Has a Massive BOONDOGGLE Hobbled NASA? – Chris Hayes: NASA space agency celebrated a major successful launch on Friday. However, a former NASA official says it’s being undermined by short-sighted politicians pushing old technology to keep pork barrel spending in their districts With Lori Garver, former Deputy NASA Administrator. From ALL IN, MSNBC”

Outgoing NASA Deputy Reflects on High-profile, Big-money Programs, Space News “Bolden, a retired Marine Corps major general and former shuttle commander loyal to his troops and trusted by lawmakers, had quickly lost the White House’s confidence in his ability to explain and defend administration policy. During his first week on the job, NASA abruptly canceled a long list of scheduled media interviews with Bolden after the White House took issue […]

New NASA rocket faces delays, Orlando Sentinel “Lori Garver, leaving NASA after four years as deputy administrator, said NASA and Congress long have oversold the agency’s ability to build the rocket, called the Space Launch System, and its Orion capsule on an annual budget of roughly $3 billion. “It’s very clear that we could have slips of a year or two,” said Garver, referring to both the 2017 launch — […]

Keith’s note: A farewell reception was held at NASA Headquarters on Thursday for NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver. In addition to the long list of thank yous to staff and friends, Garver had some parting observations and recollections to share. Garver said that she had three personal objectives while at NASA: “to try and align NASA with national objectives; to provide value to taxpayers; and to try and be a […]

Prepared Remarks by NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver, AIAA 2012 Space Conference “Finally, there are some who believe that NASA has lost its edge and is no longer the world’s leader in space. In fact, some have suggested that we’re now number three. Sounds to me like they’re either woefully uninformed or, worse, betting against America. That is never a good bet. So, for those who think our space program […]

NASA’s Deputy Administrator to Discuss Future of Commercial Spaceflight with Industry Representatives NASA Ponders Transporting Tourists to International Space Station, WS Journal (link probably won’t work) “But for the first time, a senior National Aeronautics and Space Administration official on Thursday publicly talked about ways the U.S. eventually could offer the same service and reap similar benefits. The trips could begin later this decade, when a new generation of private, […]

Video: A Conversation with NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver “At the 28th National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs SpaceRef sat down with NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver for a short conversation.” Additional SpaceRef coverage of the National Space Symposium