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Category: Culture Archives
May 9, 2008
Hip-hop Rocket Science
At NASA and Nightclubs, Stars Align for DJ Scientific, Washington Post
"By day, NASA aerospace engineer Mark Branch supervises electromagnetic compatibility and susceptibility tests on instruments for the Hubble Space Telescope. At night and on weekends, he becomes DJ Scientific, trading in his spectrum analyzers and oscilloscopes for a microphone, turntables and a mixer as he cranks hip-hop tunes at some of the Washington area's hottest clubs as well as at NFL and NBA events."
More from Mark's website, ScientificBeats (below):
"For the determined individual, there are many different avenues that one can pursue to be successful in America. Scientific realizes that one avenue has a proven track record for success. That avenue is a solid, educational background!! As an engineer at NASA, Scientific regularly goes to schools across the DC area and across the nation to get kids interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). After talking to hundreds of elementary and middle school students for the past several years, he realized that something connected them. Both Scientific and the students he was trying to help felt a love for Hip-Hop.
One day while talking to students about what he does outside of NASA (namely his life as a DJ on TV and in the clubs), he noticed that the students became more attentive. Once he captured their attention, they were more receptive to learn about the plethora of career possibilities in STEM. After that life-changing experience, Scientific chose to utilize Hip-Hop culture as a means to capture the attention of students and direct their energies toward a focus on improving their scholastic performance. At this time, he is working on a plan to broaden his talks and get involved with "at-risk" kids at a DC elementary school to see if his ideas will improve those students' scholastic performance and foster an attitude of furthering their education past high school and on to college and beyond! We all hope that he is successful with this endeavor."
May 8, 2008
Adventures in NASAese
Reader note: I came across this write-up at KSC and thought a lot of your readers would get a chuckle out of it. Just another way to state the obvious ...
Integrated Problem Reporting and Corrective Action (iPRACA)
"Issue Title: Tile inadvertently damaged by inelastic collision with terra firma following uncontrolled descent"
April 30, 2008
Things Are Getting Weird at MSFC: Absentee Management at the Top
Disturbing E-Mail Goes Out to NASA Employees, WHNT
Editor's note: When employees take dramatic actions such as this - i.e. to circumvent traditional management chains to raise both personal - and important workforce issues - it is symptomatic of managerial insensitivity and incompetence at the top. Dave King should be taking this very seriously - as a personal failure in his own management of MSFC - not something an employee did that requires a reprimand.
Reader note: This is an email that was sent by a Marshall employee yesterday. It was sent as a mass email (Marshall-wide global). Management response: "A MSFC employee sent a mass e-mail to the Marshall workforce today. We are taking appropriate action to provide assistance and to maintain a safe work environment for all of our employees. Due to Privacy Act considerations, we cannot comment further. Dave King, Director".
Email message below:
From: [DELETED] (MSFC-ET10)
Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 9:40 AM
To:
Subject: CHANGING OUR THINKING
Believe it (or) not, it's dejavue all over again! Bestselling author, Robert Moss, wrote a 261 page book, entitled: The Three "Only" Things: Tapping The Power of Dreams, Coincidence and Imagation. This book talks candidly about through dreams, coincidence and the workings of the imagination, we can journey to a world beyond our obvious one, and realize a world where we awaken to who we are and who we are meant to become.
"In everyday circumstances, caught up in hurry and stress, and people's schedules and expectations, we often lose touch with the deeper meaning of life," Moss writes. "We become entangled in problems that cannont be solved on the level of thinking and being who we are on. We are unable to recognize the hidden order of events. We become strangers to magic, which is the art of reaching into a deeper reality and bringing gifts from it into the ordinary world. Worst of all, we forget who we are. We do not know where we come from or where we are going, beyond lists and resumes. We do not remember that our lives may have a deeper purpose and be part of a larger story."
I chose this subject "CHANGING OUR THINKING", out of thin air. Why, well one reason is because I am personally running out of genuine oxygen. I need a miracle, to continue. My dreams have not only been deferred. They have been pretty much extinguished. I have been on a ride, lately, that has reminded me of the ill-fated 1970 Apollo 13 moon mission, where everything began to go wrong.
Very much like this "particular" mission, the major networks refused to air this voyage, because the thought the general public were indifferent to NASA missions, since they had almost become "so routine". Shortly, thereafter, an explosion occurs, and this Apollo Crew was losing precious oxygen. Without repeating this well documented story, I want to divert your attention to my story.
Management at NASA Marshall, has unfortunately turned their eyes and feelings against, and away from the power of yours and my dreams, coincidences and imagination. Some within might say, this is not true. However, it is true. NASA management at Marshall Space Flight Center - Huntsville has refused to do anything about my plea(s) for help. And, now, I find myself going through a similar explosion, like the crew of the Apollo 13 mission. I am looking to NASA managment, initially at Marshall, to help save me -- from the inevitable perils of my life devasting possible death scenario's, whereby, their current thinking needs to be ameliorated to protect not only my professional career from coming to a screeching halt, but the careers of many other valued assets, at MSFC.
I can see clearly, now, that many people in power, could care less about those of us, who are not as fortunate. We don't even register on their radar, until we benefit them, in some way 'or' another. It's all about them, and protecting what they have. Not one, in management, will put their lives on the line, for a helpless employee, like me. Some, within management, will come to the rescue of others, who they value more, but in my case, I'm of no value, anymore.
I don't pretend to know everything, but I am convinced that our top heavy management structure, is stifling the innovation and integrity of our workforce. Numerous Marshall managers are getting away with highway robbery and murder. It will not be uncommon for some Marshall managers to go on to even greater heights, while other civil-servants and contractors reap the inevitable destiny's of an induced and slow death. And this cycle, will repeat itself, over and over, again.
CHANGING OUR THINKING, herein, is not just something that applies to management at Marshall. It also applies to every employee at MSFC (i.e., civil and contractor personnel). I deeply hurts me, to sit here, and type my current thoughts and feelings, like this. But, I find myself defeated, all alone, on the left-hand side -- and without any possible human recourse, to make things better again, for me. I'm sure this writing will not be my magic miracle.
However, if it changes anyone's thinking, anyone's moral aptitude, I hope it stirs up the thinking of those, who have the authority and power to save me, from any further personal and professional destruction.
Make no mistake about it, I have turned to God. If I can't turn to management. If I can't turn to my fellow and lady coworkers. I do have a loving God. And, if a miracle can magically get me out of this undeserving predictment. I know it will be -- as a result of my faith in God.
Finally, in the words of Machiavelli: "It is far better to be feared than loved ... [ for] men worry less about doing an injury to one who makes himself loved than to one who makes himself feared. The bond of love is one which men, wretched creatures that they are, break when it is to their advantage to do so, but fear is strengthened by a dread of punishment which is always effective."
The most amazing thing about this brutal philosophy is that it won the modern mind, though only by watering down 'or' covering up its darker aspects. Not only do employees within NASA need to change the way we act and think. We also need, a change of heart! Harden not, your heart!
This is no joke 'or' prank email. It is real! This is definitely a subject that needs to be addressed, from all sides. Our NASA Marshall management doesn't get it, yet. It's beyond time for us to have a serious conversation on this very important issue. And, I for one, believe that based on my unfortunate circumstances of the last few years,
[DELETED]
April 10, 2008
Gen Y's plans to Reform NASA - at JSC
The Future of NASA Centers, Opennasa.com
"Yesterday, I had a very interesting and thought-provoking discussion about the future of JSC and how we're going to get there. (I'm trying to be careful about name-dropping, so as to keep the focus here on the ideas more so than personalities.) One of the subjects we broached was how JSC is famous for its mission operations work, but that a lot of the good engineering work we're doing here is going unnoticed by the public-at-large. I'll actually be meeting with someone tomorrow who is heading up the Engineering Directorate's efforts to share their innovations both internally and externally."
April 9, 2008
Rocket Boys, the Musical
Hickam's book adapted into an award winner, Huntsville Times
"The "Rocket Boys" story is really going to be rocking thanks to a group of directors and producers from New York and New Jersey, who decided to adapt local author Homer Hickam's best seller, "Rocket Boys" (made into the hit movie "October Sky") to the stage. The play is called "Rocket Boys, the Musical" and producers hope to eventually get it on Broadway. It's already received numerous awards, including being one of three to receive the Academy for New Musical Theatre's Search for New Musicals Award in Los Angeles and the ASCAP/Disney Musical Theatre Workshop in New York."
April 3, 2008
ARC: Just Send Ideas
NASA ARC Internal memo: Solving the Institutional Support Budget Crunch: Ideas Wanted
"The center has a very significant PROBLEM: our projected institutional support budget (determined by HQ) is inadequate to meet the current way do business. As we look forward, we now have an OPPORTUNITY: redefine the way we accomplish our business, for significantly less cost, and still meet our program and project needs, provide for the health and safety of our work force and comply with our regulatory and legal requirements."
April 2, 2008
Armstrong Movie In The Works
Universal Puts First Man on the Moon, Coming Soon
"Universal has acquired nonfiction novel "First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong" and will turn it into a film about the first person to set foot on the moon, says Variety. NASA historian James R. Hansen got rare direct access to Armstrong, a test pilot-turned-astronaut who was so driven to reach the moon and play the role of American hero that he became known as "the Ice Commander."
Reader note: "Holy smokes. Alan Shepard was the Ice Commander, not Neil Armstrong"
Reader note: "Re: the Armstong movie. At least a couple posters on that site caught the factual errors in the PR release for the movie, i.e., about the LM hatch and the "ice commander" tag. More Hollywood crapola."
Reader note: "While its true that Shepard was known as the "Icy commander", some of Armstrong's fellow astronauts came to calling him the "ice commander" after Gemini 8, per "First Man" (page 436 in the softcover edition). That aside, there were some inaccuracies in the Variety article (on which the Coming Soon story was based), and those I understand were the result of Nicole Perlman (no relation) being misunderstood/misquoted. - Robert Pearlman"
Our Past Future - 40 Years Ago Today
2001: A Space Odyssey, Wikipedia
"2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 science fiction film directed by Stanley Kubrick, written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke. The film deals with thematic elements of human evolution, technology, artificial intelligence, and extraterrestrial life, and is notable for its scientific realism, pioneering special effects, provocatively ambiguous and often surreal imagery, sound in place of traditional narrative techniques, and a very minimal use of dialogue. ... The film's world premiere was on April 2, 1968, at the Uptown Theater in Washington, D.C."
Editor's note: Have another look at the film's opening (below). Please play this as loud as you possibly can.
Where we could have been by now
Life Imitates Art
March 31, 2008
I Know What Sessions Will Be Heavily Attended ...
Additional Speakers Confirm for 24th National Space Symposium
"Actress Jolene Blalock, known for her role as Commander T'Pol on Star Trek: Enterprise, has also committed to serve as special guest award presenter for the Space Technology Hall of Fame Private Induction Ceremony and special guest master of ceremonies for the Space Technology Hall of Fame Dinner, on Thursday, April 10."
March 19, 2008
NASA Culture Survey
"The analysis of the 2007 NASA Culture Survey (NCS) results was part of a broader study that included focus groups, center assessments, literature searches and the additional comments provided by survey respondents. The overall findings were presented at a Senior Management Council in January 2008, and a determination was made that more can be expected across our organization regarding open communications and organizational support in getting the job done."
Arthur C. Clarke Has Died
National Space Society Statement on Arthur C. Clarke's Legacy
NASA Statement on the Death of Arthur C. Clarke
Sir Arthur C. Clarke Has Died, Marc Boucher, Space Elevator Reference
"It is with a heavy heart I write that Sir Arthur C. Clarke has died. He died early Wednesday at a hospital in Colombo, Sri Lanka. I had the privilege to meet Sir Arthur in 1997 in Sri Lanka, his home of 52 years. His creative mind inspired many people including myself. He will be missed but his creativity will live on through the people he inspired."
Sir Arthur C. Clarke Has Died, Keith Cowing, SpaceRef
"Noted author and visionary Sir Arthur C. Clarke has died at age of 90 in Sri Lanka. I am not even certain where to begin to describe just how profoundly this man's writing affected me as a child - and as an adult."
Arthur C. Clarke, Wikipedia
The Arthur Clarke Mars Greenhouse, SpaceRef
Video (below): Sir Arthur Clarke Speaks on his 90th Birthday, December 2007
January 23, 2008
This Is Why Brits Think That Dr. Who Is Real
Mystery image of 'life on Mars', BBC
"An image of a mysterious shape on the surface of Mars, taken by Nasa spacecraft Spirit, has reignited the debate about life on the Red Planet. While some bloggers have dismissed the image as a trick of light, others say it is evidence of an alien presence. The image is a recent Nasa posting of the Spirit's landing in 2004."
January 21, 2008
Star Trek Movie Trailer Online
Editor's note: The HiRes version of the new Star Trek trailer is online. Turn up the volume and watch it on a big monitor. If you go to this official website there are "webcams" that will show you the Enterprise under construction (so to speak). There are little sliders (the green bar) under each webcam feed that allow you to fine tune the webcam image so as to make it nice and crisp. The trailer is also on YouTube (below):
January 20, 2008
Star Trek Immortality
Inspirational Professor Given Part In Star Trek, Trekmovie.com
"Dr. Randy Pausch is a highly respected and honored professor of Computer Science and co-founder of the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. He is also a Trek fan. In November Dr. Pausch was offered a role to be in the new Star Trek movie, and it all started with a very special lecture he gave two months earlier."
"In September Dr. Pausch gave a lecture titled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," which was part of what is called "The Last Lecture" series. The series is designed for top lecturers around the country to impart what they feel are their most important life lessons, as if it were their last. What made Dr. Paush's lecture special was that it really was his last. A year before his lecture Dr. Paush was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. But to see Professor Pausch's humor-filled talk one would never know that he has been told that he only has months to live..."
December 16, 2007
Neil deGrasse Tyson: Certified Space Geek
Star Power - As an Astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson Is A Universal Expert, Washington Post
"Tyson is a 6-foot-4 African American who today is wearing a dark suit and a vest knitted with white suns, each with a human face. It's the vest of a guy who (a) believes he is the universe's ambassador to Earth and (b) does not care what you think of his vest. Part of being a geek, Tyson says, is not worrying about whether you fit in, and for as long as he can remember, he's been a geek. Last month he took an online test to determine exactly how geeky he is. He scored high."
December 13, 2007
Ames Has A Stargate
Editor's note: During demolition of the Ames 14' Wind Tunnel, a Stargate was discovered. The dialing device for the Stargate has not been found and may have been destroyed during the first phase of demolition. However, one rumor circulating at Ames refers to a large object being shipped to Google Headquarters late last night that matches the description of the dialer. Perhaps this is why Google was so interested in Ames (Google Stargate?) The discovery of this device also confirms long held suspicions as to why former Reagan era Star Wars participant, Brig. General Pete Worden was so interested in coming to Ames (see Worden's official portrait from a secret DoD website)
Of course, now that Ames has a Stargate, MSFC will try and take it away.
Click on image to enlarge.
Editor's update: Looks like someone activated the Stargate - during working hours - before it could be moved to its new location inside Hangar One. Now there will be no way that NASA and Google can deny this. After all, they couldn't figure out how to hide a simple thing like a 767 jet ...
Editor's additional update: A NASAWatch reader has helped unravel this mystery. There is another operational Stargate. It would seem that ARC is tapping personnel expertise across the world - via Stargate - from CERN. They commute daily via Stargate from Switzerland!
I Think I'm Speaking NASAese - I Really Think So
Editor's note: There is a press conference underway right now from NASA JSC regarding Expedition 16. A few minutes ago I heard several instances of NASAese - i.e. NASA people taking simple sentences and reformatting them so as to make them quasi-cryptic to people outside the agency. As is usually the case, several nouns and verbs were injured in the process.
Kirk Shireman (speaking NASAese): "... we will deconflict these two ..."
English translation: "... we will resolve conflicts between these two ..."
Holly Ridings: (speaking NASAese)" "... we ingressed into Node 2 ..."
English translation: " ... we entered Node 2 ..."
December 10, 2007
Wayne Hale Is Not Done Yet
NASA Internal Memo From Wayne Hale: "Not done yet"
"... So I've decided: I'm in it for the long run. I don't intend to leave before the last wheel stop. There is plenty enough excitement and fulfillment to outweigh the biggest bonus or the fanciest office. There will be time for the future when it comes. Because we're not finished yet. I hope you are in it with me."
May 30, 2007
Petty Politics and Uncoordinated Outreach at NASA
Editor's note: This letter (500 KB PDF) was written by a NASA subcontractor to JSC management in February 2007 regarding experiences on Constellation outreach and public relations.
Multiple NASA sources have authenticated this document - yet I have deleted information that would easily identify the author. This letter has been making the rounds, via faxed photocopies of photocopies, so I am certain it won't be that heard for someone to identify the author if they have a mind to do so. I just do not want to make it easier for that to happen than I need to. The reason: people who speak out at NASA often find future work prospects suddenly evaporating. Besides, it is the content of this letter that is important, not the identity of its author.
I find myself in near total agreement with the opinions expressed by the author with regard to the dysfunctional way NASA conducts public affairs and outreach. As to the problems the agency has in carrying such activities out, the author describes them perfectly. The author also offers some intelligent analysis and solutions that NASA would do well to consider.
Several years ago, something called "One NASA" appeared on everyone's to do list at NASA. It sounded great - for about 10 seconds - until you realized what it actually called for: the agency acting as one cohesive, integrated entity with all people and organizations helping one another so as to speak with a unified voice. In other words, everyone was supposed to put aside parochial issues and work for the common good.
We all know that NASA is utterly incapable of doing this - especially when it comes to PAO and outreach. Headquarters directorates, programs, and agency field centers all have their own outreach efforts (and budgets) over which PAO or Headquarters (the 9th floor) itself has little or no oversight. And none of these things are ever integrated properly with other projects and programs resulting in needless conflicts and duplications.
And of course, everyone has their little petty political games to play so as to posture themselves, their project, and their field center in a position so as to benefit the most and/or thwart others from doing so. This letter outlines a classic example of how NASA simply cannot get out of its own way. Marsha Ivin's behavior is utterly unprofessional and inexcusable.
I went back and forth as to whether I should post this. I eventually decided that the document already had a wide distribution. But much more importantly, I feel that the author has written some important things that need to be heard. Will posting this make the agency and some people who work there look bad? I guess so. But so long as these problems are allowed to fester unattended - things will only get worse.
The VSE will call upon every resource - and every person - at NASA to contribute together as a team. The activities described in this letter are anything but teamwork.
To be certain, there are people at PAO and Strategic Communications at NASA HQ who are trying to do the right thing and are addressing some of these lingering issues. But if, in the end, NASA is incapable of moving beyond the petty antics and confused messages that are outlined in this letter, the VSE will never result in one single piece of functional hardware.
Comments? Send them to nasawatch@reston.com. Your Comments thus far:
The "letter" has brought up a topic of great importance--core competencies. It is an issue throughout the agency - putting civil servants in positions just because they need/want a job. They actually put them in jobs of outreach, Public Affairs, and communication because they think anyone can do that type work. The idea that anyone can communicate or do outreach is just absurd. Communication professionals go to school to learn about what works and what doesn't. When you put a person not formally trained in communication into a position to lead communication, well, you get exactly what the letter addressed. And since these people do not have the academic training to do the right thing, they engage in coercion, manipulation, and other ineffective and outdated tactics (Peter Principle).
If you really want to know what is going on with field center outreach, I challenge you to call all the field centers and find out who is leading the communication efforts. Do they hold degrees in communication, journalism, or marketing? My "guess" is that many do not. They were merely placed in those jobs. THIS is why NASA's can't communicate the importance of the Vision.
As for HQ, I think they are working very hard to get real communication professionals together to solve problems, but it'll never work until the field centers have communication professionals leading those efforts. HQ is spinning its wheels. Failure to recognize that core competencies and special skills mean something - and are needed - is just plain stupid.
I am so pleased that this letter was sent for many reasons. I am afraid its been on many of our minds for many years-but it took an excellent communicator to communicate just what is wrong.
First, while this letter is unfortunate for Marcia Ivins, she has ruined careers of some great people and has been costing the US taxpayers millions of dollars for years. She and her Integration/Operations friends in ISS used similar tactics in establishing their empire and the processes in that technical area in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Then they were called the henhouse mafia.
And why would someone with no background in communications be put in charge of communications in Constellation...because they were trying to get her out of the technical areas where she was causing problems by trying her same tactics. But now they have someone new in the Constellation communications area, who similarly has no background in Communications but who is a research scientist. Maybe she'll figure it out?
Are the activities going on in Constellation of such little consequence that we place people with no relevant experience in these areas and many others?
Unfortunately, Marcia and the problems associated with communications and public interfaces are just the tip of the iceberg. Take a look across the management of all of Constellation. Another of Marcia's mafia, also in Constellation, is now running configuration management-an area she has no knowledge of-but then when she set up Integration/Operations for ISS she had no knowledge there either. And others running the show - Progam Manager Jeff Hanley at a budget meeting in DC a couple weeks ago annouced proudly that everything he knew about program management he learned in the last nine months from the Program Control Manager who is now retiring, one of the Marine mafia that came in with Will Trafton and Randy Brinkley and who screwed up ISS so badly for so many years.
The person likely to succeed him-ran the Space and Life Sciences Directorate into the ground over the last seven years until they got rid of him from that job-so why not let him have a go at Constellation? When these senior ranking people screw up so badly, why don't they demote them and put them in a place where they can't continue to do harm. And while Jeff Hanley is a nice guy, why are we trusting the future of the US human space program to someone who has no prior program or project management experience? Look at many of the others running Constellation. A former flight director who had never worked any form of systems management or hardware integration now heading up integration. A Deputy just named to the lunar lander office who has no history in NASA and no history in any kind of R&D. And why are they staffing up a lander office years before money becomes available to do anything worthwhile?
At one time, program management was done by small core teams who handled requirements, budgets and schedules. The people selected to work program management had to have experienced and be knowledgeable about the technical areas, and they made sure to get a mix from across the technical areas; but the people implementing the program at the technical level were the technical people from the line organizations. That was the subsystem manager process. The idea that a bunch of flight directors from mission ops, or astronauts no longer able or needed to fly, or others with no technical experience beyond another program (ISS), or people with no relevant experience at all, are going to figure out how to get a Constellation Program flying, is just stupid. Thats when the contractors move in and start sucking the budget dry until there is none left - as in ISS.
Mr. Griffin, in his responses to employees, likes to say that they are competing these positions and selecting the best people possible. But most of these individuals have been moved in without any competition. And even in most competitive placements the person they are going to select is known well in advance. Incompetents selecting more incompetents.
Unfortunately the incompetent bureacracy, as said in the letter, is perpetuating itself down to the individual incompetents.
The space program is a worthy human endeavor, but the Constellation Program at JSC is a good example of how NASA management has gone wrong. I hope it can be fixed but after years of watching similar shenanigans in ISS, I don't expect the program to recover, and in the case of Constellation, I am afraid its DOA. And we may not get another chance.
This woman is easily the nastiest I dealt with in over 20 years in mission operations. She is not fit to represent NASA anywhere!
As one of your commenters said, "FINALLY! Someone calls out Marsha Ivins for what she is."
Finally, indeed! Marsha isn't the only one who displays this behavior, but she is the current poster child, since Jay Greene (her mentor) has retired. Want to know what I did when I learned that Marsha was to be (Constellation Program Office Manager) Jeff Hanley's special assistant? I quit. Turned in my resignation and walked away from NASA and JSC. If Hanley and Griffin have the monumental bad judgement to put Marsha in a place with that kind of power and lack of accountability, the Constellation Program is doomed.
Hi there,
Long-time reader, first-time writer. An excellent article. Your decision to post the letter was the right one.
One of the more disturbing things talked about in the letter was Marsha Ivins' pitiful dismissal of Tom Hanks as a "fake astronaut". I literally did a double take at my monitor.
Through his various tv and movie projects like "Apollo 13", ''From the Earth to the Moon", and "Magnificent Desolation", Hanks has proven an eloquent advocate for the cause of space exploration. I would've thought having a double Oscar winner in your corner would be seen as a good thing.
I was active in space advocacy (specifically the Mars Society) for several years, and currently work in telecom. After reading Ivins' remarks, I wonder how many others share her xenophobia and how many potentially lucrative partnerships with space advocate groups and non-space industries are being stillborn?
Of all the comments posted, I agree with this one the most, but I would take it much further:
There is much of value in this letter, especially with regard to NASA selling the VSE to the public, yet I think the author is missing an important point. When he looks for a well-articulated rationale for the VSE, part of the reason he isn't finding it is that the real rationale is in fact that "great nations explore." He dismisses this as unacceptable. He seems to be looking for a business case, like why XYZ Corporation should build a widget factory. Not only is there no business case for the VSE (NASA spends wealth, it doesn't generate it), but even if there were, taxpayers wouldn't really care. There's no business case for Social Security either, yet people are perfectly willing to have 15.3% of every paycheck go to fund it.If there is any business case to be made for manned space exploration, it lies far in the future. Sure, NASA is a dysfunctional organization. It's organized for failure. It has to pretend to be a business in order to attract enough political support to survive, but what it really is, or should be in my opinion, is mankind's long-term insurance policy. At some point, Mother Earth is gonna get too crowded, or polluted, or otherwise messed up and humans are going to need to have to ability to disperse to other planets to sustain the species. There's not a short-term business case for that objective.You want to make a case to Joe Taxpayer as to why his taxes should support human space exploration? Here you go: it's the greatest death-defying stunt in the history of mankind, bigger than NASCAR, bigger than the NFL, orders of magnitude beyond Evel Knievel or the X-Games. When we landed on the Moon in 1969, other nations held their breaths in awe. It was so unbelievable, many in fact do not believe it. If we land on Mars, every other country will know that China couldn't do it, Russia couldn't do it, the Europeans couldn't do it - only Number One could do it. And it doesn't cost that much, relatively speaking. If you need a more highfalutin' way to say it to the Starbucks demographic, it represents a radical expansion of human potential. Yes, "great nations explore". Most people respond to this, the real rationale.
I've always felt that the U.S. manned space exploration program should be segregated in its own government agency, and that other, unmanned satellite exploration and space science programs in another. The way the Government operates, having both programs in the same agency competing for the same funding means that one program alternatively starves the other in competition for the limited NASA budget, depending on the priorities of the current Administration, whether Republican or Democrat. Other Federal agencies, including DoD and DoC (NOAA), have space operations. Why not create one more so that each can focus on its mission?
FINALLY! Someone calls out Marsha Ivins for what she is. Another indication of the Administrator's inability to be a good judge of character. He abandoned his friends who used to protect him. Then he surrounded himself with a number of incompetent, self-serving individuals who told him what he wanted to hear, not what he needs to hear. Its unfortunate that the really great people at NASA, who lack only for leadership, are tainted by the ineptitude of the few.
Keith: Like the excellent findings in the Aldridge Commission's Report on Implementation of U.S. Space Exploration Policy, the recommendations for VSE strategic communication generated from The Balance Point Process will likely be ignored. Both require but have yet to obtain buy-in from the Administrator, White House and Congress. NASA's Exploration Systems Architecture ignored many Aldridge Commission guidelines. In developing the unsustainable Ares family of rockets, Constellation will continue to devour human spaceflight budgets for years to come. NASA will have money to fly a few astronauts every year and do little else. Like the Shuttle and the Station, NASA spaceflight programs quickly become ends in and of themselves for the Agency and contractors.
"I also understand that they should have access to a lot of stuff but do not get free reign to dig around in places we don't want them digging, and again since I have total control over the story line since there are only 2 of us writing it, we can guide the story."
Reading this letter, I am all but disgusted further with some of the way things are at NASA. It's bad enough that the common population (as I will call it) has very little to no knowledge of what goes on within NASA, or what NASA is accomplishing, or what the future may bring that is potentially good and possible these days since the media seems to focus on the disasters, and the outrageous.
And then there is this sanctimonious 'astronaut' that makes NASA look BAD - again - Marsha Ivins. For one thing, Marsha Ivins must go IF what is catalogued here is at all true. She seemingly sets a very poor example of a NASA employee, and as an astronaut as well (oh they need that like the proverbial hole in the skull), and therefore she should be immediately quarantined and sent back to JSC to either resume some sort of harmless engineering duties that are beneficial to her pals in CB/JSC/NASA and the taxpayer, or, retire from the civil service and go into the real world (civilian/commercial) and get a real job instead of acting like the prima-dona clown she seems to come across in this letter. In true life, since I did back in the early 90's work in DF at JSC, as a contractor, I personally witnessed the way she treated the contractors, and it was like the way the author of this letter described the way he/she was treated - like crap. No surprise since she was one of -if not the servant of George Abbey for a time - and therefore had some real honest-to-goodness mentoring that seems to have handsomely paid off. A buffoon and now a buffoon-ette. Thanks Marsha - thanks a lot!!
And as for NASA Public Affairs; if this organization does not get their act fully together, and real-real soon, they are going to be in good part to blame for the failure of NASA to get any form public recognition and/or support for 'Constellation'. This ultimately will cause heads of congress (forget the current president - he has his head buried in the sand in regards to NASA - he did that when he was governor of Texas) to ignore (as they do a great deal already) and look the other way because they will have sensed that it - that 'it' being NASA, 'it' being EXPLORATION, 'it' being ALL THE REST that NASA has - oops - no - HAD come to symbolize over the years means little to nothing to the present public, as it seems to already mean little to nothing to the politicians on Capitol Hill. NASA has fallen into the bureaucratic black hole from hell, and it's going to take a monumental change to get them out of it. In the end, Public Affairs at NASA desperately needs an enema - period. It's not rocket science is it?
This is a shame, because the true heroes; those like the Wayne Hales, the Milt Heflin's, the Mike Coats, present and present launch and flight controllers, orbiter, ET, and SRB engineers and technicians, and all the rest of the real workers within NASA (civil servants and contractor) - could be well forgotten, and their hard and heart-felt work all be in vain because of those few in the overall organization, and on Capitol Hill that have their own personal agendas to meet, and have forsaken their fellow workers, and the Unites States citizens, in what could be, and would be, the greatest adventures in human history.
In CONFIDENCE, I state: I read with avid interest the letter written by a contractor to NASA JSC.
I, too, was a "disposable" consultant to one of the NASA centers. I have an MBA in marketing and 20 years experience in industry, associations and government. I almost can't believe how close this letter describes my own experience. Now I realize I am not alone and that I can recapture my self-esteem, which was damaged by gold badges who negated best practices and collaborative strategies for improved Agency-wide outreach (in view of competitive center mentalities). This is truly an unhealthy climate and phenomenally difficult to alter.
And I aspired to work for NASA! I still believe in the inherent good that can be achieved. Without a government entity solely devoted to science and engineering, America will lose it's grasp on continuous, objective technology development. And if we lose that world leadership, citizens will be truly sorry.
how many people are funded to build CEV crew module mockups?
- GRC
- Goddard
- Andrews Space
- JSC ?
am i mistaken in thinking this is a redundant effort? if it is, what other concurrent/redundant efforts are going on?
It was interesting to read the letter, and some of the points made are valid. However, criticizing NASA is like shooting fish in a barrel. There are 3 topics on which everyone thinks he or she is an expert: sex, politics and NASA. Nevertheless, the letter was not much better than the aspects of NASA it criticizes and could equally have been written by some of the NASA people, pro or con VSE, that it describes. I guess it takes one to know one. There actually are good, valid reasons for establishing a lunar colony, and Mike Griffin has articulated them clearly in many different places. Unfortunately, Constellation has inherited the old space station crowd, who gave us the expensive tin can that goes nowhere, 30 years too late, 30 billion $ over budget, and 30 deg of inclination too high. The problem with NASA is not that they have the wrong process in place. The problem with NASA, as with the letter's author, is that it is an organization built around process, not around product. Mike's been trying to change that, and deserves all the support he can get. We could all do without self-serving yahoos writing letters about things they don't understand. BTW, I don't work for NASA or any aerospace industry and have nothing to buy or sell.
There is much of value in this letter, especially with regard to NASA selling the VSE to the public, yet I think the author is missing an important point. When he looks for a well-articulated rationale for the VSE, part of the reason he isn't finding it is that the real rationale is in fact that "great nations explore." He dismisses this as unacceptable. He seems to be looking for a business case, like why XYZ Corporation should build a widget factory. Not only is there no business case for the VSE (NASA spends wealth, it doesn't generate it), but even if there were, taxpayers wouldn't really care. There's no business case for Social Security either, yet people are perfectly willing to have 15.3% of every paycheck go to fund it.
You want to make a case to Joe Taxpayer as to why his taxes should support human space exploration? Here you go: it's the greatest death-defying stunt in the history of mankind, bigger than NASCAR, bigger than the NFL, orders of magnitude beyond Evel Knievel or the X-Games. When we landed on the Moon in 1969, other nations held their breaths in awe. It was so unbelievable, many in fact do not believe it. If we land on Mars, every other country will know that China couldn't do it, Russia couldn't do it, the Europeans couldn't do it - only Number One could do it. And it doesn't cost that much, relatively speaking. If you need a more highfalutin' way to say it to the Starbucks demographic, it represents a radical expansion of human potential. Yes, "great nations explore". Most people respond to this, the real rationale.
Dear Nasawatch
The Article today 'Petty Politics' was excellent. I hope the person who sent the letter does not get his knuckles rapped. That is exactly what NASA needs. They need to promote the reasons for why and not just when it is going to happen. All his points are valid.
I am a UK citizen but have an interest in the space program and as you have pointed out many times they need to co-ordinate their media responses. They could save money and a clear vision would be expressed. Once that happens then more people will know that NASA is about and what they are doing and then it just may be bit easer to get some more support and therefore more money.
Well done for printing it. Let's hope it starts a chain reaction for some action.
You do realize that there are plenty of NASA-affiliated workers who think the whole VSE is a waste of time, don't you? If we don't believe in it, why should anyone else? I say let industry handle space travel, except for scientific work that would benefit the nation but has little appeal to industry. Why should the government perform functions that private companies are capable of doing?
Wow. Now *that* was a fascinating read. What do you think will be the response of NASA? I expect silence, unfortunately. I wanted to stand up and applaud after reading this.
There is so much potential at NASA, so much that could be done. Is it conceivable that this gentleman's letter could splash cold water on the face of NASA and wake them up? Will Ivins resign, be publicly supported by Griffin, or somewhere in between?
May 5, 2007
NASA Connection to DC Madam Scandal?
ABC: No Big Names on D.C. Madam List, AP
"ABC reported that some of the phone records could be tracked to prominent business executives, NASA officials and at least five military officers. But there were no members of Congress or White House officials traced through Palfrey's records."
April 26, 2007
Ad Astra, Dave
NASA engineer remembered for his passion, Houston Chronicle
"Though underpinned by tragedy, Wednesday's tribute was upbeat and could have been scripted by the man who was honored. It began with the throaty roar of more than 50 motorcycles driven by members of the JSC Space Riders, a club Beverly helped to organize. They rolled through two main streets of the space center, the lead bike bearing the U.S. flag as well as the banner of the U.S. Air Force, in which Beverly served."
April 24, 2007
Administrator Eloquence
Message From the Administrator - April 24, 2007: David Beverly and Fran Crenshaw
"On Saturday, JSC Director Mike Coats and I met with Houston Police officials, who informed us of the results of their investigation. They made a point of telling us that both David and Fran had acted "heroically", that they had done all they could, each trying to protect the other, and that they had simply never seen a calmer and more self-possessed individual than Fran in any similar situation, concerning which they had all too much experience, including another case elsewhere that same afternoon. Houston Police Chief Hurtt stated that "not all of NASA's heroes fly in space."
Remembering David Beverly
NASA Johnson Space Center to Hold Memorial for David Beverly
"NASA's Johnson Space Center will hold a memorial at 10 a.m. CDT Wednesday, April 25, to honor senior avionics systems engineer David Beverly, who was killed in a shooting incident at the center on Friday, April 20."
Family Remembers Broken Arrow Graduate Killed in NASA Shooting, KOTV
"There is a Tulsa connection to the latest shocking case of violence in the workplace. Memorial services are set for an engineer shot and killed while working at NASA in Houston. Sixty-two- year-old David Beverly is a Broken Arrow graduate, who has family and friends in the Tulsa area. He's being remembered for his strength and for being an encouragement to others."
Editor's note: Hmmm ... Broken Arrow High School, Oklahoma, David Beverly's high school. Broken Bow, Oklahoma, small town featured in the opening scene of the first episode of Star Trek Enterprise - wherein misunderstandings lead to a shooting. Reality vs fiction. I know there is no connection, but I cannot shake the irony. Hopefully, David Beverly's name will find its way to a place of honor somewhere in our solar system - a place humans will one day visit and recall who he was and what he did. Those Mars Rovers certainly seem to be regularly discovering things which have been given names ...
NASA Feedback: David Beverly and Fran Crenshaw, Earlier post
April 23, 2007
NASA Watch Feedback: The Shape Of Things to Come
NASA throttles up for change as end of shuttle era nears, Orlando Sentinel
"The initial target was to shrink Constellation's budget for operations and sustaining engineering to 60 percent of what it cost the shuttle program in 2007. NASA and its shuttle contractors already have crunched the resulting work-force numbers, but the final totals haven't been decided on. Some estimates have projected that a third of KSC's current workers could be affected."
Editor's note: Space journalist Jim Oberg appeared on MSNBC today and made some very cogent points about the factors that may have led up to the shooting at JSC - things that don't seem to get mentioned at NASA press conferences. Right now many at NASA are being asked "to do more with less". At some point this means people at NASA contractors loose their jobs. At present, layoffs (when they happen at NASA) are small and focused. Imagine what will happen as the Shuttle program is turned off. Thousands of contractor employees at JSC, KSC, MSFC and elsewhere will be laid off. NASA will dispute this, but they can never provide the data needed to back up their claim.
As Oberg notes NASA has an exceptionally motivated work force. People just love their jobs. Many, as David Beverly's wife put it, feel that their job is "their calling". When these layoffs start to happen there are going to be a lot of people who are not happy about leaving. Given that NASA is terrified of even discussing the topic and won't dare put a number on eventual layoffs, a lot of people are going to feel like they got the shaft when the inevitable happens.
I sincerly hope someone at NASA is looking at this sad event at JSC and taking instruction from it to prepare for future layoffs at the agency. People under stress can do unthinkable things. The prospect of losing a job you dearly love can cause a lot of a lot of stress - stress that needs - and will eventually find - an outlet.
Oberg will also be appearing on "Weekend Today" at 8 am EDT Sunday on NBC.
Interview with Jim Oberg 21 April 2007, MSNBC (rough transcript)
Question regarding NASA information just provided.
"But all the discussions I've heard so far have missed, I think, the major themes that I have learned from people who knew Mr. Beverly, that there were tremendous budget pressures, cutbacks of his budgets, and he had to 'do more with less' -- that was the phrase that he would use in conversation with friends and colleagues. And it was depressing him -- because he was under pressure clearly to do more with less, which is -- the English of which is, get rid of some people...."
"The contractor groups are very often just labor plantations for various kinds of specialty jobs that people need to staff up and then staff down, then go work for someone else. The contract workers often have minimal if any benefits, medical or retirement benefits -- but they are people who want to work in space [program], they are enthusiastic about space.
"And they realize that unlike most of the jobs you get laid off from, where you can use your skills in some other industry or profession, in space this is the only game in town.
Question regarding purchase of gun.
"He bought that the day he printed out his performance report -- the evaluation message. Performance evaluations can be used for helping getting people to improve their performance, and they can also be used -- from my own personal experience and the people around me in my 22 years working at the center, mostly as a contractor -- they can also be used as an excuse for winnowing out employees, especially older employees, that need to go for other reasons."
Question regarding Beverly's heroism
"Absolutely -- what we know about Dave, from people who knew him, they universally considered him to be an outstanding human being, and a good engineer -- a top flight engineer dedicated to his work, to his co-workers, decent. And that apparently is -- that comes back to what I mentioned earlier, that something was gnawing at Dave, that I have learned from people close to him, and that was the need to do more with less.
"So that's not been mentioned at the press conference, I wish I were there because I'd ask it."
Comments? Send them to nasawatch@reston.com.
Your comments thus far:
Keith, In my email I sent to you 4/14/07, I wrote:
I would appreciate it if you would not publish this as I have already experienced enough retaliation, workplace violence, ostracization and other from NASA management.
On 4/20/07, shootings occurred at JSC within the exact same organization and building that I was referring to in my 4/14/07 email. This organization has had management problems including: workplace violence, abuse of authority, work being cancelled due to numerous safety violations, slandering employees, making knowingly false statements about employees in order to justify unethical management practices, creating memos to employees directing them to not identify flight safety concerns, and a very long list of waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement. The problems within this organization have been made known to the Office of Inspector General, the Office of Special Counsel, both the former and current NASA Administrators, the Ombudsman office, the JSC Employee Assistance Program, the JSC Human Resources Office, the Union, and several U.S. Senators. Even though the evidence that there are significant organizational and management problems within this group is undeniable, the broken philosophy of business being used there remains in tact.
As many have said, David was a good guy, and we all enjoyed working with him. He was someone we all respected. Put in a different work environment, the actions that Bill took would not have occurred. The word now is that no one is at fault, and that this is just an aberration. This is not an aberration. (period) Instead, it is another manifestation of the broken culture that exists within NASA and specifically within this particular organization. Bill has been portrayed by many in a way that is not completely true throughout this episode. Yes, Bill was completely wrong in his actions and had no right to take David's life. But, if we don't learn anything from this, then little will be gained. Making the claim that there is no fault other than on the part of Bill and that this is an anomaly or aberration is simply an attempt by troubled NASA organizations to deflect the glaring truth that their methods are the cause of this incident. When a work environment antagonizes its workers to the point that they want to hurt themselves and the others around them, that environment is in desperate need of change.
The dynamics of this are not really all that hard to understand. Bill, as has been observed, was dedicated to his work and it was a very large part of what created his self esteem and self worth. When that is threatened or taken away from him, that is the same as taking his life from him. Taking a persons life from them will be met with strong opposition as we have seen. NASA needs employees that are dedicated and are willing to sink their lives into our space program. But, methods used by NASA managers, such as retaliation, are incompatible with sustaining the passion of a devoted and dedicated workforce. The same cycle repeats itself within NASA and is very prevalent within the organization where this occurred. A person will work on some task for a number of years and become an expert in that field. At some point, it is inevitable; there will be a difference of opinion between the technical expert and the office manager where this person resides. If the technical expert has strong opinions about this and challenges the office manager, office managers at NASA then employ prohibited personnel practices to stifle dissenting opinions and maintain control of their organization. This interaction leaves our nation with a space program that is limit by the skill level and lack of vision of middle management bureaucracy. Engineers and Scientists that are knowledgeable in their field 'are' going to have strong opinions. When our friends and neighbors are getting ready to fly in a spacecraft that has known, but rectifiable defects, people are going to speak up. NASA technical leaders are shown that if they challenge office managers, their careers will be ended. This is the cycle of retaliation that has been reported by the CAIB and others, and is limiting the success of our space program. Misplaced technical authority is the root cause of this problem.
Of course, if 'any' of the NASA / federal appeal routes, or employee help resources functioned the way they are claimed to, people like Bill would have some method to find solutions for the problems they are facing. But, unfortunately, all of the claimed avenues for employees to combat workplace injustice are controlled by the exact same management structure that creates and maintains the problems being faced. As has been observed with the Office of Inspector General, instead of being an independent watchdog to prevent waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement, the OIG operates in collusion with troubled NASA managers in assisting them in these actions. The OIG was given information about the history of workplace violence within this organization as well as other well documented issues needing to be addressed there. But, the OIG elected to not challenge the management responible. The same ineffectiveness can also be shown for every and all other appeal route available to NASA employees. This defines the word dysfunctional. And obviously, the organization that David and Bill worked within was beyond dysfunctional.
I hope that David and Bill's lives were not lost in vain. Our hope is that this tragic event will dramatically show how wrong our ways of conducting our nation's space program are.
If you want to publish this, you may do so. If not, consider what caused this to happen, and think how realistic it is that NASA methods of conducting business are not reponsible for this.
The feedback this morning hits the NASA employment double standard on its ugly head. I'm sure there will be a response along the lines of, "NASA values its contract teammates and urges them to come forward with any concerns they may have, etc." In public, there will be stagey surprise. (Contractors are treated like social diseases? We had no idea!) In private, there will be quiet profanity around a table of grim-faced civil servant managers. (Find them. Now.) When the inevitable missive appears, I hope no one is fooled. The initial response will be concern and intense head-nodding. In six months to a year, that person's job will be restructured, and he or she will be on a bullet train out of NASA. For all the right reasons, of course.
There are outstanding people in both worlds. I also realize that things may be different outside of the area where I work, yet I hear these same stories throughout the agency. Too often NASA and its contractors have about the same chemistry as roadkill and hot asphalt.
My family thanks you for keeping this anonymous.
Not surprising that NASA's "family" raised the stress level of a 15 year contract engineer and pushed him over the edge with tragic results.
NASA is controlled by "bean counters", not the Engineers or technical employees that produce and operate the Space Hardware. Bean counters contribute little to the Space Program, their main interest is protecting these little domains. Bean counters control the facilities, and contractors. They will actually interrupt or stop an engineering test to accommodate their own schedules. They control this world with an incestuous relationship with each other. Nepotism is also a factor by controlling some NASA jobs.
Contractors are required to document Safety and Health problems via Close Call Reports but then NASA fails to properly record all of them. They disappear from the real world. Contractors are then chastised. One NASA manager who was responsible for Safety and Health issues liked to scream at contractors in the halls for reporting these issues. His favorite line was "I AM NASA!" Intimidated contractors, fearing their job loss said nothing.
Many NASA managers leave the buildings and are gone for long periods of time during normal working hours. They have "flexible" working hours and can work or not work as they wish.
Recent events at NASA JSC should be a terrible "heads-up" for this agency to clean its own house and remove incompetent managers. They need to break tradition and fire the bad ones but they won't. After 22 Years at JSC...
In spite of my better judgment, I feel compelled to weigh in on the recent events at JSC. I feel tremendous sympathy for the victim of this violent act and would never wish that upon anybody, no matter the circumstances. Yet at the same time, I find myself in the uncomfortable position of understanding some of the dynamics that might push someone over the edge.
Is there a caste system at NASA? Definitely. This would be hard enough to stomach if it were based on any logical factors, such as education, ability, dedication, hard work, or years of experience. But the only factor that drives the caste system is the color of one's badge – gold for civil servant, blue for contractor.
In the department I support, the civil servants make approximately double what I make as a contractor. (How do I know what they make? Easy. Their GS levels are common knowledge.) Do they have more education? No. In fact, we have comparable degrees. Do they have an advanced degree? No. Do they have more years of experience? No. Do they work harder? Definitely not. In some cases, the real question is do they work at all, and sometimes, that's debatable.
In fact, here's an interesting dynamic. Part of the reason these civil servants are so highly paid is that they supposedly "supervise" people, meaning the contractors that were brought in to do the work these civil servants either couldn't, or wouldn't, do. Then, if the requirements get too much, these civil servants simply pass along the added assignments to the nearest contractor and pat themselves on the back for "doing more with less."
And if that weren't bad enough, the civil servants regularly receive rewards and kudos for work done by others. In fact, I have personally completed projects in my department with little or no supervision, guidance or help from my civil servant counterpart, only to see that same civil servant receive a nice cash bonus for my work. However, if something goes wrong, it is always the contractor who gets fired or reprimanded. So in short, we contractors get none of the carrots, but all of the sticks. People will say I'm exaggerating, but the contractors out there know what I'm talking about.
And here's something I can back up with facts and figures. At the NASA center I support, there is a world-class daycare facility with great rates, a low child-to-teacher ratio, and a long waiting list. They will tell you that contractors can make use of the facility, but here's the catch. The children of a contractor can get on that waiting list. But (and here's where it gets interesting) if any civil servant comes along and wants THEIR child or grandchild on that list, they move to the front of the line, ahead of the contractor, no matter how long the contractor has been waiting. This means that a contractor can literally be waiting a year to get decent, affordable care for their child. And in one smooth move, a civil servant can cut right to the front of the line. How can someone with the wrong color of badge not be discouraged by this? As for me, my children never made it to the front of the line, so now I pay more for less at an off-site daycare facility that's more expensive and less convenient.
Also on-site at our center, there's a world-class health club. Until a few years ago, contractors weren't even allowed to set foot in the facility, except to clean it. A couple of years ago, they changed the policy, but here's another catch. Civil servants can use the facility for free. Their families can use it for free. Contractors must pay $180 a year. That's hard to stomach, especially when the NASA civil servants make more money, have nearly unlimited job security, and benefits I only dream of. Meanwhile, contractors are told we're lucky to be let in the facility at all.
Whenever these discrepancies are brought up, NASA management says that our companies (meaning the "real" employers of the contractors) offer "different" benefits and are free to offer childcare, health club memberships or what-not. But the truth is, they don't. Why? Because low-bidding is the name of the game, and benefits are among the first things to be cut. So every day, I sit across the table from people who make double the money I do, get perks I only dream of, and have a false sense of entitlement that's truly mind-boggling. Meanwhile, there's a whole other group of people who are left to survive on leftovers while doing the vast majority of the work.
Of course, I must also state that there are some truly terrific, hard-working people who work for NASA, both civil servants and contractors. But the system is definitely broken when one side gets all the perks, while the other side gets told they're just "lucky to have a job," only to be shuffled out when the system has squeezed everything it can from them.
Please forgive the anonymous email, but I am certain to lose my job if anyone identifies me as the author of this correspondence. And since I have a family to support, I can't take that risk.
Wayne Hale on "Life"
NASA Internal Memo From Shuttle Program Manager Wayne Hale: Life
"Please don't let your co-workers suffer alone. Metal detectors and car searches will not prevent this type of tragedy. Workplace violence, murder/suicide happen almost daily in this country. The only was to prevent a tragedy is to build a support network for those in need. Today, tell your friends how much you appreciate them. Give your family an extra hug. Tomorrow make sure that the words you use are caring, not laced with sarcasm or bitterness. Take care of yourself, it can be a hard life. Know what the person at the desk next to you is going through. Don't let them be alone. We'll only make it if we take care of each other."
April 22, 2007
NASA Feedback: David Beverly and Fran Crenshaw
NASA shooting suspect feared being fired, police say, AP
"[Houston Police Chief Harold] Hurtt praised Beverly for his bravery while trying to protect a co-worker, and Crenshaw for her composure while trying to keep Phillips calm. "Heroes just don't fly in space," Hurtt said. "Sometimes heroes work in the next cubicle next to you." Beverly's wife, Linda, said her husband of 41 years was an electrical parts specialist who felt working at NASA was his calling."
Editor's note: Friday was certainly a horrible day for NASA. Y'all must be thinking/feeling something with regard to David Beverly's murder and Fran Crenshaw's awful ordeal. Care to express yourself? Send your comments to nasawatch@reston.com
Your comments thus far with regard to the victims:
I am truly saddened by the loss of my friend and fellow CBX rider, David Beverly. My thoughts and prayers are with Linda and his family. I am especially sorry not to have been able to attend a recent get-together he and Linda had at their home for those of us who enjoy classic motorcycles. Dave exemplified the best characteristics of an engineer with an attention to detail and always willing to help a friend in need.
Stephen Wirtes, Clear Lake Shores, TX
Message From the Administrator - April 24, 2007: David Beverly and Fran Crenshaw
Last Friday, April 20th, NASA engineer David Beverly was murdered in his office at the Johnson Space Center, shot by a co-worker who subsequently committed suicide. The co-worker was an on-site contractor who believed, mistakenly, that David was trying to have him fired. Another co-worker, Fran Crenshaw, was taken hostage during the incident but was not otherwise harmed.
Nearly everyone reading this message will be familiar with these facts, played out as they were on national television. What most of you will not know, but should, is the kind of man who was lost in this sad event, and how David and Fran behaved as they struggled to defend themselves and each other.
David Beverly was a long-time NASA engineer, a parts specialist widely regarded as one of the very best in this critical discipline in all of NASA. He was a quiet, thoughtful man, known for his willingness and ability to apply his knowledge, to convey it clearly to colleagues and co-workers, and for his dedication to NASA and its mission. He was simply in love with what we do at NASA. He was also known for his dedication to weekend motorbiking, in company with his JSC motorcycle club colleagues.
David was an engineer's engineer. He lived in the waterfront home that he designed, and which he maintained to exacting standards. He was known to friends as the guy who could and would fix anything that went wrong, at his home or theirs. He lived in that home with his companion of five decades, Linda, his sweetheart from junior high school days and his wife since college. Linda is a facilities management professional where, ironically, she often deals with the consequences of workplace violence.
Shortly after lunch on Friday, David and Fran were confronted in their office by the killer, a man whose own office was literally down the hall, and with whom David had had lunch that very day. Though dealing with the surreal situation of being threatened by a co-worker wielding a gun, both remained calm. David tried to reason with the attacker until the man raised the gun and shot him twice, and then left the room to lock the outer office door.
Though critically wounded, David attempted with Fran's assistance to barricade the inner office door with a desk, but was unsuccessful. The attacker returned and shot David again, this time with mortal effect.
The attacker, having barricaded himself in the office suite, then proceeded to tie Fran up, telling her that she was his hostage. After an extended conversation with Fran, and composing several suicide notes, the attacker shot himself. Hearing the shot, the Houston Police Department SWAT Team broke down the door and conducted Fran, who had freed herself, to the hospital for evaluation.
Despite her ordeal, Fran was determined to be unharmed, calm, and fully in possession of her faculties, and so was released from the hospital. She then drove immediately to the Houston Police Department, where she provided investigators with a careful recounting of the afternoon's events, after which she was dismissed.
Linda added a bit more detail to Fran's story. She told us how, after completing her duties to the police investigators, Fran then called Linda to tell her how David had died, and that David had told her that Linda was his "soulmate". Linda replied, "I knew that." I must tell you that it was very hard to hear her relate this vignette.
On Saturday, JSC Director Mike Coats and I met with Houston Police officials, who informed us of the results of their investigation. They made a point of telling us that both David and Fran had acted "heroically", that they had done all they could, each trying to protect the other, and that they had simply never seen a calmer and more self-possessed individual than Fran in any similar situation, concerning which they had all too much experience, including another case elsewhere that same afternoon. Houston Police Chief Hurtt stated that "not all of NASA's heroes fly in space."
HPD officials also made a point of complimenting NASA's handling of the incident by internal security forces, citing the manner in which the incident site was surrounded and contained by NASA security personnel until local and Federal law enforcement officials arrived, and uninvolved employees were expeditiously evacuated from the area.
While all involved performed to the highest of standards, we will nonetheless review the entire incident, with the intent of producing an "after-action report", with lessons on both what went well and what did not, that could be valuable should such an event ever occur again.
There will be a memorial service for David Beverly on Wednesday, 2 5 April, and flags at NASA will be flown at half-staff for a week in mourning.
No more than any of you do I know what to make of, or to take from, this awful thing, other than to realize, once again, that none of us knows the day or hour of our passing, and that the "now" is precious. David and Linda did not know when they said goodbye that morning that it would be for the last time. She told me that they almost never quarreled, and that their last words were of love and caring. She will have that as her final memory of her soulmate.
Let us all go forward with the goal of leaving behind just such memories for our family, friends, and co-workers to have when our last day arrives, as it must.
Mike
I knew David before he joined NASA. We worked together at Texas Intruments. I moved to Dallas but we still kept in touch for awhile. I would receive a birthday card from him for many years. He was at my wedding in 1980. I was in Houston on Friday for my son's wedding when I read his name in the paper. I couldn't believe it. I thought many times that I should call David and Linda but never seemed to have 'time'. Now time has run out for him. Instead of receiving a birthday greeting this year, he will be buried on my birthday. I will never forget.
Neil Gould
I meet David from the Honda CBX Club, Most every Spring he would come to the Texas Hill country and Ride. My most sincere condolence to his family, It was great to have met David and ride with him. My prayers are with him and his family.
Mike Garvin. FAA Aviation Safety Inspector
I graduated from high school with David Beverly and his wife Linda in 1964. David was very popular and served as the Drum Major for the Broken Arrow High School Marching Band. David has always been a man of honesty and integrity and full of humility.
I know Linda was the love of his life since their high school days. David also had a strong spiritual commitment to Jesus Christ. Originally, when David graduated from high school, he was going to be a preacher, but engineering became his calling.
Jeff Lester, M.D. Broken Arrow (Tulsa), Oklahoma
Dave was one of the first engineers that I worked with 20 years ago when I started working at NASA GSFC. Someone suggested that I call the JSC materials group to understand the differences between the polymers used for coating conductor wire. Though it turned out that he was to become one of the leading resources for the Agency on electronic parts technology and policy, he never hesitated to take my calls, to explain manufacturing and processing principles, and to point me in the direction of information and knowledge. He supported many of my projects not only with technical expertise but also supported them by attending working groups and making Agency-wide projects important to the team at JSC. Of course he was a great asset for JSC but he also cared deeply about the success of the entire Agency and was consistently generous with his technical and management contributions, decade after decade.
Keith, I am puzzled as to why most of the comments you have received so far are anonymous. Please do not hesitate to make it clear who contributed this.
I am so sorry. I really do not know what to say. Dave was such a kind, gentle man, there is no way this makes any sense. I guess I had known Dave for about ten years. We were both NASA electronic parts engineers. Dave represented Johnson Space Center as their senior expert; I held various positions representing NASA HQ. Dave was one of my technical resources, a first rate engineer, a fine person and a personal friend. I often called on Dave for opinions and insight and he always made time for me, no matter how busy he was and he was always busy. Over the past seven years he has been a regular contributor to my weekly NASA EEE Parts Assurance Group (NEPAG) telecons. He was one of the founders of NEPAG. We did not always see eye-to-eye on technical matters but he was always professional, courteous and patient and our discussions always ended with our close personal relationship intact. He was a very good parts engineer, very dedicated and thorough. He worked long hours doing what he could to make NASA successful. The Agency has lost an enormous asset, a dedicated employee, a terrific engineer and a wonderful human being. I have lost a good friend and I am devastated. My thoughts are with his wife and family. This is so unfair.
Michael J. Sampson,
Manager NASA EEE Parts Program
GSFC Alert Coordinator
Code 304
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
I have two memories. He was a fine electronic engineer who was outstanding in his field of EEE parts. He was also a fine man who loved motorcycles. Many have written about the engineer side. Here is my memories of the motorcycle side. Do with it as you will.
David Beverly was a respected peer, a valued friend and a surprising man. Dave walked gently and talked quietly and road a motorcycle like his hair was on fire. I knew that I was like that; but, I thought that I was just weird. Dave took it to a new level. When you saw his garage it was the ultimate guys garage with all the tools and stuff that you always wanted and you didn't have. Everything that he worked on was returned to factory new condition. I knew that he was a true believer in quality when I saw that when he finished working on a bike part, he didn't just wipe off the oil and dirt, he took it to his buffer and was happy when it shined like a mirror. I mentioned his name to a motorcycle club member in my town and he said "oh yeah, we all know Dave. I is a member of every club in this whole area as far as I know."
Everyone loved Dave because he was so honest, open, helpful and easy to get to know. Dave is one of those people that I will have a question and reach for the phone and then remember that Dave is not here - anymore. I will see a bike and think I should drop Dave a note and then remember that he is not here - anymore.
My world is a colder lonelier world because of that stupid man who seems to have had no idea how to deal with his problems without taking this fine engineer and man from us.
Dave's friend Dave.
David Beverly was one of the finest engineers I've had the privilege of working with. David expected the best work possible every day - especially from himself as well as from those working with him. Making NASA's programs and engineering practices the very best they could be was his life's work. He loved the space program. He loved the work he did. It was truly a calling and David gave everything he could to keep the best ideas, the best research, and the best solutions for engineering at the forefront. He was always learning, trying harder to understand internecine issues, and coming up with practical yet quality solutions that would enable space exploration to move forward with confidence and reliability.
On a personal level, David was a very unpretentious yet gifted. He had a marvelously self-deprecating and dry sense of humor, a gentle soul who always tried to find common ground with everyone. He would listen attentively and seemed to truly care what everyone had to say. I will miss him terribly, and the NASA family will feel his absence sorely and deeply. He also knew how to find joy in the common everyday pleasures of his life. He was a true visionary and inspiration to all of us who knew him.
My thoughts and prayers are with his wife and family. We will miss David very, very much!
A Friend and JSC Colleague
I work at JSC but was off work today, so I watched with interest the news reports this afternoon as events unfolded. It sounded tragic and hit close to home, but since I don't work with many folks who hang out in Building 44, it didn't seem too personal to me. Then I saw the name of the victim and my heart sank. David Beverly was one of the nicest and most competent engineers I have ever worked with. I can't imagine anyone having a heated argument with him, much less something that could set off a tragedy like this. My heart is broken tonight.
I am saddened about Dave Beverly's premature death. I knew Dave since I began as a NASA employee working in building 44 in the early 80's. He was a highly competent and conscientious engineer. More importantly, he was a kind and humble person that I had the privilege of working with. He helped me understand the subject of choosing the right parts for a design in an unpretentious and kind way. His knowledge will be missed but, more importantly, Dave the person will be missed even more.
JSC engineer
Dave was the second NASA person I met when I first started working at JSC. We soon discovered that we both spoke the same technical language and shared a passion for helping the projects and programs get the best hardware possible. He and I worked together to get training upgraded, and processes in place to correct and prevent workmanship and design issues. Wayward project engineers knew they were likely to lose the argument when Dave and I showed up as a tag-team at a meeting.
Dave was well respected for his knowledge, but he was also one of those engineers that was self-confident enough to know when to ask questions. His self-effacing sense of humor was sometimes difficult for others to fully appreciate, and I wouldn't be surprised if his last comment when shot was "Well, that's not right!".
Dave was more than one of my NASA customers. He was my colleague. He was my friend.
Many of my coworkers and myself knew both Bill and David. Both were experts in their field of space electronics. I had gotten advise on projects from David several times. He was like the "nice old guys" at NASA that were full of great stories and always willing to tell a tale. He had lots of knowedge and was not presumpuous. When we heard what was going on real time, neither myself or my coworkers could believe what happenend. We couldn't believe anyone could get mad at David, let alone shoot him. In any event, we will miss him. We will miss being able to talk to a trusted source who made you feel special no matter your age or experience. The space program will miss him because he was one of the governing authorities in space electronics.
Keith, I am a civil servant at JSC. The first I heard about the shooting was when speaking to a person in another building who was told to shelter-in-place. I turned on NASA TV and saw information about the shooting. Then I turned it to the local news channel where it was being discussed. We did not receive an e-mail notice until about 30-45 minutes later. Everytime we have a storm we get notices on bad weather by e-mail but we didn't get an e-mail about this shooting!!! Heck, we even received our OSHA VPP Star certificaton but we can't get an e-mail out immediately on a shooting onsite!! I've known Dave Beverly for many years and he was a great guy, easy going, sharp engineering and a friend. He will be missed.
I have known Dave Beverly since I started working at NASA in the early 1980's. An excellent engineer and dedicated NASA employee, Dave was also extremely personable, trustworthy, and always willing to help you. Dave had a passion for motorcycles as well as practicing safe riding habits: he successfully lobbied for a "Motorcycle Safety Exhibit/Booth" at JSC's second Safety & Total Health Day.
He will be missed, but not forgotten.
JSC Employee
April 19, 2007
Griffin: Speaking for the Agency
NASA Strategic Management Council Meeting Minutes and Actions 21 February 2007: "Griffin made the following opening comment: - On speaking for the Agency: Griffin urged members (and through members all of NASA) to be clear when expressing a personal opinion versus an Agency position. He offered a recent example where an astronaut publicly advocated for technology development that directly conflicts with Agency plans."
"He pointed out that it may not be possible for an active astronaut to publicly voice an opinion that is not taken as Agency policy. Griffin encouraged all NASA employees to write and publish technical papers, but reminded members that there is a difference between a professional technical debate and political discourse. To engage in political discourse, a NASA employee has to take off his/her badge."
NASA HQ Survives The Great Crackberry Shutdown
Bereft of BlackBerrys, the Untethered Make Do, NY Times
"On Tuesday night at 8 p.m. Eastern time, technical problems cut off more than five million BlackBerry users in the United States from their cherished wireless e-mail. Service was restored 10 long, data-starved hours later."
Editor's note: I am amazed that NASA HQ continued to operate while most of its employees were totally isolated from the known universe during this crackberry blackout.
April 17, 2007
Yuri's Night at Ames: A Thumb's Up From Wired
Party in a NASA Hangar Gives a Glimpse of Space Culture, Wired
"What's more, Yuri's Night gave a glimpse of an emerging culture of space enthusiasts, of people who are as interested in science and technology as they are in partying and having fun. When the music was interrupted by PowerPoint presentations, the crowd, far from dispersing, gathered closer in to the stage and listened attentively. ... Mission accomplished. If Yuri's Night is any indication, people are wildly enthusiastic about space travel. Not to mention LCD projectors and wearable LED art."
April 16, 2007
Yuri's Night at Ames
A Tale of Two Possible NASA Futures: Yuri's Night and The National Space Symposium, SpaceRef
"I had a somewhat profound experience several days ago in California - at NASA Ames Research Center to be exact. The true impact of this event is still growing on me. You see, I saw things I never thought I would see on a NASA base - things that give me hope that what NASA does can be truly relevant to people outside NASA's traditional constituency. Moreover, I saw indications that NASA can adapt to rapidly changing trends. The experience? Yuri's Night."
April 15, 2007
The Blogosphere Reacts to Yuri's Night at ARC
Photos of Yuri's Night Bay Area 2007, A Giant Party at NASA, (photos) Laughing Squid
"Last night's Yuri's Night Bay Area 2007 party was amazing. The night was in honor of Yuri Gagarin, who in 1961 was the first person to travel to space and orbit the earth. ... Yuri's Night Bay Area 2007 felt like a really nice mix of space travel expo, Burning Man and Maker Faire. I really hope there do it there again next year."
Yuri's Night, (photos) Redundantly Redundant
Yuri's Night 2007 (Photos), qdot
Yuri's Night, Matt's Waste of Your Time
"They had science exhibits, food, drinks, music, art, and a lot of stuff that's rather hard to classify. It was an odd combination of a party, a science fair, and Burning Man. It's kinda amazing to think of a Soviet accomplishment being celebrated on a NASA base, too."
A bit of Burning Man on a Military Base? There's hope yet!
"I am so inspired, this is how we are going to change this culture, not by beating people over the head and simply creating more resistance and conflict, but by opening our arms and welcoming people in and letting them see that there is another way that people can be with one another. People always talk about taking Burning Man home and out of the Playa and out of just our community of subversives. . and well, here it is!!"
Yuri's Night, Hickory
"It was hard to convince myself that this was happening as I watched the huge NASA logo changing colors. To some people it was just a party, to others it was so much more. To me it almost felt like we were celebrating on the flight deck of a space station. If a troop of aliens would have walked in, I wouldn't have been surprised. For all I know, they were watching from one of the many offices surrounding the hangar floor."
Yuri's night, doohickey
"I wanted to write a little about Yuri's night. I was SO excited to visit NASA and see science projects and research and hear speakers. I got there and did get to see Saturn. Yes! Saturn through a telescope that was 600 MILLION miles away. OMG! Hooray! It had little rings, looked yellow and was sideways. (I know you are all aware of that)."
Yuri's Night in Second Life ... Wow!, Space CoLAB
Yuri's Night 2007 A Confluence of Culture in San Francisco, SpacePorts
April 14, 2007
Yuri's Night at Ames
Yuri's Night '07 Bay Area, NASA ARC
"I give it five fingers up" - Robert
"It's a mashup of cultures"
"Amazing to see this happen here"
"Do you think this will happen again next year?"
Yuri's Night: Burning Man meets NASA, CNet
"As I wandered, I couldn't go more than eight feet without bumping into someone I knew: friends from my social circles, people who work with NASA, people from the virtual-worlds companies I write about, and others. This particular Yuri's Night event was the perfect confluence of the communities I run in and write about."
Editor's note: I will have much more posted later. Suffice it to say, Yuri's Night at Ames was a resounding successs - I saw things at NASA I never thought I'd see - all carried out with professionalism, precision - and sheer joy. Oh yes, that 18-24 demographic NASA wants to get to? ARC had thousands of them as guests last night - and they were cheering the people (including Pete Worden) who spoke about space.
Photos of Yuri’s Night Bay Area 2007, A Giant Party at NASA, (photos) Laughing Squid
"Last night's Yuri’s Night Bay Area 2007 party was amazing. The night was in honor of Yuri Gagarin, who in 1961 was the first person to travel to space and orbit the earth. ... Yuri’s Night Bay Area 2007 felt like a really nice mix of space travel expo, Burning Man and Maker Faire. I really hope there do it there again next year."
Yuri's Night, (photos) Redundantly Redundant
Yuri's Night 2007 (Photos), qdot
NASA Watch Photos below:
April 4, 2007
The Bigger Problem - Yes, Its NASA Culture
Editor's update: I have gotten some email from people - much of which makes wild, and vindictive personal accusations against Mr. Cobb - the sort of things that spurred this investigation in the first place. However, this one note, which takes NASA Watch and its editor to task (rightly so) while not painting a pleasant picture of the IG''s office, does touch on some important points. These problems transcend Mr. Cobb's tenure and have have plagued NASA since Dan Goldin's reign - and even earlier. This is all made worse when Congress seeks to go after someone for alleged bad behavior they do not like - and exhibit similar unprofessional behavior on their own part in so doing.
Reader note: "I have some comments about your coverage of the NASA IG investigation shown on your web page 4/2/07. The significant issues about the IG are lost if we try to make it appear that the problems being pursued by Congress are based in the use of profanity or if various involved individuals played golf together or not. These are not the issues related to this case that significantly impact our nation's space program. The issues are that when NASA scientists and engineers disagree or challenge bad decisions made by NASA managers, these managers employ prohibited practices to counter and suppress the concerns expressed by NASA's technical workforce."
"Collusion between the Office of Inspector General ( not only Mr. Cobb ) and NASA managers involved in waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement have left NASA scientists and engineers without an avenue to combat the destructive practices employed by NASA managers. This is the point to be made and derived from the investigation, not what language was used or who socialized with who. The fact that OIG investigations were derailed, suppressed, and