Keith’s note: the following memo has been sent out to NASA staff to explain how things will resume operating at NASA. Full memo below:

Keith’s note: the following was sent out to the NASA workforce today: “A Message From Acting Administrator Sean Duffy: Welcome Back NASA Team, Thank you for your dedication and resilience throughout the shutdown. From those who sustained mission-critical operations, to those who remained on call, to those who were furloughed, I appreciate your role in helping us continue NASA’s essential mission, even during a shutdown.”

Keith’s note: According to an agencywide note to NASA employees: “A Message From Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya Anticipation of Resuming Normal Operations: NASA Team, In anticipation of the passage of a bill that will end the government forward to welcoming all staff back from furlough as early as tomorrow. Please watch NASA’s external website for confirmation. If your situation returning to work tomorrow, please discuss this with your supervisor. Sincerely, Amit Kshatriya NASA Associate Administrator”.

Keith’s note: A report from a NASA Goddard employee: “I asked excepted people if they have seen any change in Building 36. A move has started and movers moved all of our belongings out from our offices, packed our stuff into boxes, and left it in conference rooms. We were told before that we’d be notified if we needed to move out of our office. Then we were told that there will be no move during the shutdown.” Other GSFC employees have mentioned moves that they were told were not supposed to happen during the shutdown.

Keith’s note: according to a press release issued by GESTA, (Goddard Engineers, Scientists and Technicians Association – IFPTE local 29) the employee union at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, on Saturday night: “Throughout there has been a complete breakdown in communication from NASA agency and Center leadership where decisions are rarely communicated, almost always only verbally, and not directly by the decision makers.” Full release below

Keith’s note: according to a well researched and brutally accurate story “NASA is sinking its flagship science center during the government shutdown” at Space.com: “The workforce at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Maryland, say this has put groundbreaking missions at risk, and is degrading roadblocks designed to safeguard human lives. Now, under the cloak of a closed U.S. government, nearly half the GSFC campus — the hub of NASA science — is marked for abandonment.”

Keith’s note: This is simply pathetic Sean Duffy. You clearly canot read the room Virtually your entire NASA workforce is shut out with no pay and you’d rather spend time worrying about a fellow reality TV star than them. Get a grip Dude. You were at White House and siad that you are worried that DOT employees are not being paid, their families are suffering, etc. But you are also acting/interim NASA Administrator. But you say nothing about the same circumstance confronting NASA folks – civil service and contractors. If you can’t do both jobs then pick one that you CAN do – and give the other job to someone else who can do it. But wait: there’s more (see below)

Keith’s note: yea I know there is a #shutdown but this rates 9 out of 10 on the Scrooge scale Cynthia Simmons and Sean Duffy. (edited) Email sent this week to NASA Goddard employees: “Reminder: Holiday Events Not Permitted at GSFC — Good afternoon, As we gear up for several months of various holidays, please note this reminder that holiday parties, get-togethers, team building events, potlucks, etc. are no longer permitted onsite at GSFC.” 31 Oct update: I just got this from NASA HQ Public Affairs in response to my social media and NASAWatch.com postings: “This message was not approved or authorized by NASA agencywide or GSFC leadership.”

Keith’s Update: see “Is NASA Pulling Back On Retroactive Pay?“ Keith’s note: the following email “Shutdown furlough: Upcoming second formal furlough notice and additional information” was sent to everyone at NASA today. it opens with “When a lapse in appropriations exceeds 30 days, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) regulations require agencies to treat it as a new formal furlough and issue a second formal furlough notice.” Full message below.

Keith’s note: A year ago NASA and other government agencies were trying to broaden outreach to all Americans. NASA had a particular focus on reaching underserved communities. That has now evaporated. Instead, government agencies such as the Department of Labor have decided that 1950’s white males with chiseled features in heroic poses should be the symbol of what America is all about.