JSC Seeks Innovation Support

Maybe this is a little late in coming, but it's good to see this happening. This sounds something like like the NASA Ames CoLab (http://colab.arc.nasa.gov/colab). I wish it extended to outside the Life Sciences area, though.

I must be stupid because I read the whole thing and I don't understand what is going on.

One could drive a truck through this solicitation and still meet the desirements.

The cynic in me interprets this as a government agency admitting it does not know how to innovate very well. Imagine that!

But the realist in me says this is a pot of money earmarked for Small/Disadvantaged Business to do nothing, provide NASA training, submit a report, and get paid.

The pragmatist in me says: Well at least this money is not being wasted on ARES-I.

I must be stupid because I read the whole thing and I don't understand what is going on.

Not suprised, looks like JSC already has somebody in mind for the job they just have to do it 'correctly'

@Engineer in Houston: Colab at Ames is not a good example to point to given that it folded due to lack of funding. There are some good lessons to take away, but hardly a model of success.

Colab at Ames was a great idea with a lot of potential and lots of interesting ideas. However it was run by a bunch of 20-something new hires who seemed to be more interested in hosting parties at their group home and playing in Second Life than producing anything that NASA could actually use. I hope NASA Ames revisits the concept - but that they do so with some adult supervision and a few goals.

Too many buzz words.

Sounds like it was written by someone straight out of grad school.

sounds like the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI - see nsbri.org), which is already a significant NASA partner.

In for the LOLZ...

In all seriousness, this is just another perfect example of how NASA, once the leader in innovation, is now stagnant due to so much red tape and bureaucracy that to install a pencil sharpener, you need to file a work order with public works who will then request an environmental impact study into the amount of trees that will be slaughtered, which will then have to be shmoozed over at the water cooler with Ms Suzan (make sure to promise here Boston Crème donuts, works every time) which will then be forwarded to the building manager who will approve the request.

/whew

But wait, there is more.

Now we need to get funding from accounting for said pencil sharpener! The building manager forwards it over where accounting announces we are $63,027.23 to the red and asks for a justification letter. The request is then forwarded back to the building manager who then forwards it back to the office manager who requested the pencil sharpener in the first place. He then fires the request back to the original person making the request who types a draft request and forwards it back up the chain where it is hack and slashed by the office manager and then the facility manager before it goes back to accounting.

It is denied by accounting, however, after some more smoozing at the water cooler and a promise of a lunch sometime next week at Applebees the request for the pencil sharpener is APPROVED.

Expected arrival time is six weeks.

And then... you have to have it installed in accordance with all labor laws and specs.

Sad thing is, you could have went to Walmart and for 99 cents bought a pack of three mechanical pencils and the environmental impact study could have been avoided, not to mental the waste of all the time and money.

This is what drives me frigging nuts with NASA.

VR
RS327

I didn't realize CoLab folded. It's been a while since I read about it.

Let me guess. Twitter.

I agree with Keith. They are looking for a Rolodex. I hope they have this at the SES level to get such a person. I don't think even a GS-15 would work.