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Former NASA Chief On US Space Policy: "No Vision, No Plan, No Budget" (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader writes: During a congressional hearing Thursday, former NASA Administrator Mike Griffin had harsh words for the space agency and the space policy crafted by President Obama's administration. Under the Obama administration's guidance, NASA has established Mars as a goal for human spaceflight and said that astronauts will visit the red planet by the 2030s. However, a growing number of critics say the agency's approach is neither affordable nor sustainable.
On Thursday, Griffin, administrator of NASA from 2005 to 2009, joined those critics. The United States has not had a serious discussion about space policy, he testified, and as a result, the space agency is making little discernible progress. NASA simply cannot justify its claims of being on a credible path toward Mars, he added.
On Thursday, Griffin, administrator of NASA from 2005 to 2009, joined those critics. The United States has not had a serious discussion about space policy, he testified, and as a result, the space agency is making little discernible progress. NASA simply cannot justify its claims of being on a credible path toward Mars, he added.
I took a class from him in the 90s (space vehicle guidance and nav). Final exam: plan a trip to Mars. It's no secret he really, really wants a Mars mission. I haven't seen him since '95 or so, but I wouldn't doubt that, with all this talk of Mars, he would really, really like to be in the drivers seat.
IMHO he's very smart, but in an assholish way. Sort of the opposite of NDT's smart but very affable public persona.