January 6, 2009
Keep Mike: Week Two
Transition Watch: Petitioning at NASA, Federal Times
"But despite these obvious roadblocks, this reporter wonders if Rebecca Griffin won't be successful in the end. After all, in recent years there have been a few successful online campaigns. For example, in 2007, the fans for the now-cancelled show "Jericho" used an online appeal to convince CBS to keep the program on the air for another season. And a couple of New York Mets fans started an online petition to save the team's giant homerun apple from the scrapheap or auction block after the team moves from Shea Stadium to the new Citi Field this spring. The Star-Ledger reports that the apple will be on display at Citi Field. If television and sports fans can meet with such success, surely fans of the NASA administrator can mount a successful campaign...right?"
Utahn petitioning Obama to keep current NASA administrator (with video!), KSL
"In the coming weeks, Horowitz will send the signatures to the president-elect; he'll also personally take copies to Capitol Hill. Horowitz says it's a small trip, considering the trip this country is capable of with Griffin at the helm. "I truly believe without his leadership NASA will have a hard time returning to the moon and going to Mars," Horowitz said."
Editor's note: "Signatures", Doc? On some pages, one third of the names are "Anonymous", many are fake ("Frank Poole", "Heywood Floyd", "Delos D. Harriman" etc.), and none of them can be verified. All you have to do is log in and log out at Starbucks and you get get a new IP each time. Oh well.
NASA: Mike Griffin out, Charlie Bolden in?, Orlando Sentinel
"Some of his closest friends and supporters, including his wife, Rebecca Griffin, and former astronaut Scot Horowitz, launched a campaign to try to convince the incoming administration to keep Griffin, a veteran rocket scientist. The sometimes heavy-handed effort ranged from soliciting members of Congress during the last space shuttle launch at Kennedy Space Center, to a much publicized on-line petition and even an e-mail from Rebecca urging that her husband be retained. But Beltway insiders say the effort backfired and even some of Griffin's most ardent supporters on the Hill, like Florida's senior senator, Democrat Bill Nelson, saw the lobbying as craven."
Boosters of Incumbent NASA Head May Be Doing Him No Favors, Congressional Quarterly
"Scott Horowitz, a former astronaut and associate NASA administrator, has been circulating a petition to keep Griffin on board. And just before Christmas, Griffin's wife sent out an e-mail to friends urging them to sign the same document. "This strikes me as pretty unusual, especially to be so public. There's nothing about what I've read or heard that would seem to help Griffin's chances of being retained," said David Goldston, former staff director of the House Science Committee under Sherwood Boehlert, R-N.Y. "Administrations generally, and this one in particular, seem to recoil at being put in a box publicly."
Ex-astronaut emerges as NASA prospect, MSNBC
"Sources involved in the White House transition said Bolden was under consideration for the NASA post, but they did not indicate that a final decision had been made. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss details of the selection process publicly."
Editor's note: All of the people mentioned in these articles as Administrator candidates have expressed overt disinterest in the job at one point or another. Bolden has made statements that no one in an official or unofficial capacity has approached him on the topic. Then again, people can change their minds.
Bolden is widely admired - indeed, Sean O'Keefe wanted him to be his deputy until Donald Rumsfeld made that impossible. Of course, it should not be a surprise that Bill Nelson is promoting Bolden - they both flew on STS-61C.
At this point, of all the names floated in these articles, only Scott Hubbard has been seeking the job albeit quietly. Hubbard got a gold star from NASA Watch for his defense of his workforce as Mike Griffin eviscerated it.
As for who will be acting Administrator when Mike Griffin leaves, that has not been decided yet. But Mike Griffin is indeed leaving NASA, folks. His antics of late have simply served to make this a certainty.
Stay tuned.
Posted by kcowing at January 6, 2009 8:12 PM
"Doc" makes a nice counterbalance to Mike's intellectual might. Together, they make quite a dynamic duo.
Posted by: sc220 at January 5, 2009 10:50 PM"Scott Crossfield was a pioneer and a legend in the world of test flight and space flight," said Mike Coats, director of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "Much of our technology used in the design of the space shuttle and in the development of the Constellation exploration program is based on the pathfinding work done by Mr. Crossfield in his numerous missions in the X-15. The astronaut corps and all of NASA are deeply saddened by his death, but his legacy will be with us through the centuries."
Scott "docaerospace" NOT!
"I'm trying to gather the data for Barack so he can make an informed choice on who should run NASA," Horowitz explained
what a idiot! Horowitz is
Posted by: Flash Gorden at January 5, 2009 11:14 PMSign the counter-petition here if you're as embarrassed by this stupidity as the rest of us:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/RemoveMikeGriffinNow/index.html
2600 signatures hardly constitue a mandate. There are what- 18-20000 NASA Civil servants plus all the ocntractors and less than 10% of this special interest group sign this disgraceful document.
Posted by: observer at January 6, 2009 12:22 AM"Signatures", Doc? On some pages, one third of the names are "Anonymous", many are fake ("Frank Poole", "Heywood Floyd", "Delos D. Harriman" etc.), and none of them can be verified.
Howabout a look over at that at that counter-petition then?
#352: "Doc Horowitz"
#353: "Thrust Oscillation" - that's not even a name.
All online petitions are gonna be like this. It's just a device to call attention to something.
Of course, Doc's petition is padded a bit since many of the Griffin opposition can't seem to figure out which petition to sign.
Man, I really hate Mike Griffin... I know! I'll sign that petition to keep Mike Griffin. That'll show him.
Anyone who signs a Keep Mike Griffin petition to oppose Mike Griffin is no rocket scientist.
Posted by: Frapster at January 6, 2009 12:37 AMThere is one very good reason that Dr. Griffin would not fit in well with the new administration: his stance on global climate change.
Here is what he said in an NPR interview in May 2007. The story is headined "NASA Chief Questions Urgency of Global Warming" (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10571499)
NPR question: "Do you have any doubt that this is a problem that mankind has to wrestle with?"
Response: "I have no doubt that … a trend of global warming exists. I am not sure that it is fair to say that it is a problem we must wrestle with. To assume that it is a problem is to assume that the state of Earth's climate today is the optimal climate, the best climate that we could have or ever have had and that we need to take steps to make sure that it doesn't change. First of all, I don't think it's within the power of human beings to assure that the climate does not change, as millions of years of history have shown. And second of all, I guess I would ask which human beings — where and when — are to be accorded the privilege of deciding that this particular climate that we have right here today, right now is the best climate for all other human beings. I think that's a rather arrogant position for people to take."
Even I'm not so cynical as to believe that anyone in DC would do something other than laugh mockingly if presented with an internet petition....
Posted by: DaveR at January 6, 2009 11:17 AMThose who can't do, start a web start and criticize others. Who would want the job anyway? Griffen can have it.
Posted by: DanR at January 6, 2009 12:08 PMFar more important than any petition (and does Mike Griffin really want to compare online power with Barack Obama's team?) is Griffin's conduct towards the Transition Team and his willingness to follow the orders of the new administration.
Common sense would indicate that a certain level of humility and willingness to be a team player for the new boss would be the route to go if one was serious about keeping their job from one administration (and political party) to the another. It's fair to say that there are few public reports of Griffin's doing that, and it's probably safe to say that the new administration will want their own person on the job as a result.
Posted by: Charles Boyer at January 6, 2009 2:14 PMPetition, whatever.
Now that CNN's Dr. Gupta has been nominated for Surgeon General, what's the take that an out of work Miles O'Brien could get NASA?
Posted by: KK at January 6, 2009 7:42 PMI'm with KK on this. Lets start a petition for Miles.
Posted by: Peter Hackett at January 6, 2009 9:26 PMThe Sentinel is reporting that the keep Mike campain has backfired. They claim that the front runner for Mike's replacement is "former astronaut Charlie Bolden."
Posted by: Robert Simko at January 6, 2009 9:26 PMGen. Bolden would make an excellent choice for NASA Administrator! While I respect Dr. Griffin, the reality is that each President has the option of appointing whomever they feel will carry out their policies, regardless of the federal agency or department. Rarely do they keep members of the previous administrations on their staff for very long. Of course Golden & Paine were exceptions to the rule, but in general that's the way it works.
Good luck to Charlie! I hope he gets the job.
Well, perhaps the general will "em-Bolden" NASA! And to those who might think an astronaut/general doesn't make a great commander/administrator, just look at GEN Kevin Chilton, CO of AFSPC!
Guess we'll just have to wait and see how this all plays out!
Ad LEO! Ad Luna! Ad Ares! Ad Astra!
Editor's note: Bolden is a class act. Obama would be served well if that is indeed his choice.
Posted by: Trailrider (Jim) at January 7, 2009 12:25 AMPlease DO NOT post my name or Email address!
This is pathetic! Mike's wife pleading with the president-elect to keep his current job. Is it conflict of interest? And don't tell us that Griffin has nothing to do with this "don't fire my husband" campaign. If he really does not want it, he can ask his wife not to do this, and she should respect his wishes and stop this nonsense. I would if my spouse ask me not to. It makes him looks like a little boy hiding behind his mom's skirt. NASA is the only federal agency doing this. It makes us look bad, unprofessional,and childish. Doc, you should stop too. You have way too much class to be this stupid. It is really pathetic for him and for NASA.
Everyone would agree that Mike is an intelligent man, but with the Ares and Orion projects, he let his ego go to his head. Look at the people that he originally put in charge of ESAS and then of Constellation... ask for their track records... how many flight projects that were in charged of and actually reached flight? These are the same people running the ill-fated NASP, X-33,X-34, NGLT, OSP, Spaceliner, etc... They spent billion of dollars of taxpayers money, killed million of trees for the endless Powerpoint presentation (in high gloss-paper print) packages. And nothing flew!
I happened to know some people in leadership positions in Constellation program down to element leads, they all have the same ego as Mike. They know everything. They love to hear themselves talk, and they talk down to you. Most of them has no track record of building flight hardware nor flying anything in their professional lives at NASA.. But they are in charge so we just have to do what they said even though we have 100% track record in designing, build, and fly stuff in space in the last decade. But just because we only talk when it is necessary, our opinion does not count.
I met Mike several times, I respect his intellect and I wish he is more humble and not surrounding himself with people only agreeing with him. Ares I design was a disaster from the beginning, even during ESAS. Experienced people voiced concerns and no one listened. Even my 10 yrs old (whom thinks that there are multiple universe depending which side of the time-space you are in ) told me that it was not a good design.
I hope Obama picks a good A (Administrator) for NASA. A good engineer does not necessarily make a good manager. Griffin is a book-smart and intelligent person but a terrible manager. I would rather have a great manager for our "A" to lead us rather a good system engineer. NASA has lots of good engineers and people. NASA has not gotten a great administrator for a long long time, and let's hope Obama will do the right thing on Jan. 21.
