New NASA Admin Griffin Cleans House

Doug Dante writes "Michael D. Griffin, the new NASA Administrator, has given 20 senior NASA officials their walking papers, in a first purge that can see as many as 50 loose their positions, reports the Washington Post. Included are Associate Administrator for Space Operations William F. Readdy, and his deputy Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael C. Kostelnik (retired)."

Comments

people or system?

[moz25]

This makes me wonder to which extent the bureaucracy is to blame (or attribute) to "entrenched" managers or the whole system. In this case, it is apparently believed that the top layer of people keep an inefficient system intact. The question is: can one change the nature of a system by replacing the managing people in that system?

Begins the glut of spelling nazis at NASA

[saskboy]

"in a first purge that can see as many as 50 loose their positions"

I hear they are looking for replacements, that know the difference between the word "loose" and "lose".

The new, "tighter" jobs are said to pay much less, however.

Re:Political motivation behind firings

[Martin Blank]

Kennedy made it the goal of the nation to land a man on the moon and return him safely by the end of the decade, knowing that someone else would be in the White House then.

It looks to me like Griffin has decided that whether or not the president's new goal was diversion or eagerness, he's going to do his best to get it done.

what are your thoughts on.....

[tloh]

I wonder what Griffin, as a genuine no nonsense space scientist would make of the rants that appear on slashdot from time to time among space enthusiasts. If any of the folks who run slashdot can score an interview with him, I have a ton of questions I would like the head of NASA to address. Hey, it's possible right? As a public official, public relations are an integral part of his job. I believe he would have to regard a high profile mob like slashdot as a sort of "constituency" he needs to take seriously.

Re:No Astronaut Left Behind

[scavok]

This was painful to read it's so stupid, and full of misinformation and lies.

First of all, Bush isn't defunding NASA. He is, infact, doing the opposite. He increased NASA's budget 5% last year, and plans 2 more 5% increases in the next 2 years. Far more than Clinton can claim.

Bush's budget request for Project Constellation, the product of his "brave speech," is $6.6 billion over the next 5 years.

The CEV, part of Project Constellation, will have the concepts from the major contractors completed and sent to NASA by the end of this summer.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2004-01-13 -bush-nasa_x.htm http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/14/tech/mai n593063.shtml

I would like you see your source on that these men were engineers and that they're being replaced by businessmen. I would find it hard to beleive that a man with a doctorate, 5 masters, and 1 bachelor degree in sciences and engineering would purposely sabotage NASA.

I recommend you get your news from a source other than democraticunderground.

Re:Preparing for a more military-centric NASA?

[Edward Ka-Spel]

Make NASA more military-centric? Most of the people being canned are ex-military generals. The stated plan of Griffin is to make NASA more engineering and science driven. If anything, it sounds the opposite.