Keith’s note: Amidst the ever present fear of being fired (without any real details), having budgets cut and missions cancelled, Janet Petro wants your ideas on how to improve NASA. And you only have one week to submit them. And just like the “Five Things What I Did Last Week” thing, memo there are 5 questions. FYI when I go to https://forms.office.com/g/opuPtHnrRg I get a 404 – that may be because I am outside the firewall. But based on input from inside NASA the link does work. Embrace the challenge y’all. Janet’s memo – and the questionnaire form located online inside the firewall below:

Keith’s note: According to this 2021 ENR article, Acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro was firmly in the diversity-is-good camp back in the day. KSC Director Janet Petro Reflects on Diversity: “Petro: KSC has embraced the link between diverse teams and innovation. We reinforce this message with our entire workforce by including it as one of our DEIA Crucial Topics: “NASA sees DEIA as a mission imperative. Our commonalities unite us as a team, and the universe of our differences gives us the perspectives and insights that mitigate group think and confirmation bias.”

Keith’s note: WRT Janet Petro’s update today – she included a comment about her standard update closing “Embrace the Challenge”. IMHO when the entire NASA workforce is uncertain about whether they will even have a job, if their projects will be cancelled, or NASA’s future as the world’s leader in space exploration, “Embrace the Challenge” tends to fall a little short and sound a dull thud as to what NASA’s extended family really needs to hear right now. I went through the RIF-like effort at Space Station Freedom Level II. I know exactly what people are going through. So Janet, maybe you should use that new 5 Question App to ask people how they are doing as this chaos grinds them down – and what you can do to help them through. Just asking them may be enough – better than a hollow slogan. Just sayin’.

Keith’s note: the following was sent to NASA Employees today: “This week, Crew-9 returned safely to Earth, with Butch, Suni, Nick, and Aleksandr splashing down off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida late Tuesday afternoon. I want to commend our teams for their outstanding work in ensuring a smooth return and for executing a seamless handover with Crew-10 aboard the International Space Station this weekend. Our crews and all of us on the ground really embraced the challenge from President Trump of an updated, and somewhat unique, mission plan to bring our crew home early – navigating it with professionalism, skill, and dedication. It was a spectacular liftoff for Anne, Nicole, Takuya, and Kirill, and a very clean countdown leading to their arrival at the space station on Saturday. I’m looking forward to the vital science investigations and technology demonstrations they’ll conduct during their stay.

Keith’s note: I am getting imagery and less than pleasant comments like this from people at NASA questioning the way that Acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro closed her note today announcing the agencywide RIF at NASA i.e. “embrace the challenge”.

Keith’s 4 March 2025 note: I only got a copy of this memo today and there is indeed mention of the OPM RIF memo contrary to my earlier ranting. So, NASA HQ has provided some information to employees. My error. My apologies. I strive to be accurate. Alas, the initial RIF plan is due to OPM in 9 days so let’s hope it is made available as soon as possible to everyone who is affected. People are not going to have much time – or many options – when it comes to their future and the possible loss of their dream job at NASA.

“About 5% of NASA’s workforce accepted the resignation offer, and we are supporting their transition to administrative leave. Many will start that leave this week, while a few will continue to wrap up their duties in the coming weeks. Additionally, per the email from the Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer on Jan. 29, the agency expects all employees to report full-time in-person to a NASA center or facility by Feb. 28. I have approved some time-limited exceptions to the in-person requirement; employees with approved exceptions will receive further details from their leadership.” Full memo below

As we head into the long weekend, I want to take a moment to recognize President’s Day – a chance to reflect on the principles of leadership, service, and the pursuit of ambitious goals that move our nation forward. Those same principles fuel our work at NASA, whether it’s delivering science results, preparing for our next mission, or supporting each other. Thank you for your continued dedication to our mission. A few important updates for this week:

Keith’s note: this was sent to NASA employees at 4:30 pm EST today: “As part of my message to you on Monday evening, I committed to transparent communication and sharing what I know. We have received several executive orders that apply to our agency. Specifically, we are tracking directives related to return to in-person work, a federal hiring freeze, reforming the federal hiring process, aligning agency programs with the policy of equal dignity and respect, Senior Executive Service (SES) performance plans, and others.

Keith’s note: This was sent out to NASA employees. Note the way that Janet Petro signed this – with a standard “Embrace the Challenge.” closing. This was not on her earlier DEI memo. Just sayin’. Full text below.