Recently in Personnel News Category

@WomenPlanetSci - @whymommy - Susan Niebur, astrophysicist/mother has passed away from breast cancer. See: http://toddlerplanet.wordpress.com/2012/02/06/goodbye/

Anthony J. Calio, NOAA administrator

"Anthony J. Calio, 82, a physicist and former administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who also had been a senior executive of NASA, died Jan. 14 at his home at Whidbey Island, Wash."

Roger Boisjoly, 73, Dies; Warned of Shuttle Danger, NY Times

"Six months before the space shuttle Challenger exploded over Florida on Jan. 28, 1986, Roger Boisjoly wrote a portentous memo. He warned that if the weather was too cold, seals connecting sections of the shuttle's huge rocket boosters could fail. "The result could be a catastrophe of the highest order, loss of human life," he wrote. The shuttle exploded 73 seconds after launching, killing its seven crew members, including Christa McAuliffe, a high school teacher from Concord, N.H."

NASA GSFC Center Director Rob Strain Announces Plans to Leave

"It is with mixed emotions that I announce my intention to leave NASA Goddard and return to industry. My last day as Director will be March 4. During my time here, it has been my privilege to play a small role in our awesome missions, remarkable science, complex engineering feats, and initiatives. Goddard continues to amaze me with the extraordinary accomplishments its people make every day."

Goddard Center Director Robert Strain Announces Departure from Agency, NASA Goddard

"NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Director Robert Strain announced he will leave the agency on March 4, 2012, to take a position in private industry."

Keith's note: Mino Freund from NASA Ames has died after a lengthy battle with brain tumors. You can read about Mino's challenges on his blog "A Little Detour". Of all the things I could say about Mino, I guess the most important is that he was always fun to talk to and he was curious about absolutely everything. I really can't say that about everyone.

Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist

"As a Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist within the Office Of Communications, you will lead the development and implementation of a comprehensive communications program for the NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility (WFF). You will participate in the long and short-range strategic program planning and goal-setting for the Office of Communications at WFF. This includes communicating and engaging the public in the status, accomplishments and discoveries of the Agency's science, engineering and technology programs, and assessing, developing and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders."

- Virginia's Invisible Spaceport (Updated), earlier post
- Wallops PAO Is Goofing Off Again, earlier post
- Earlier Wallops postings

NASA's Management of Moon Rocks and Other Astromaterials Loaned for Research, Education, and Public Display

"NASA Inspector General Paul K. Martin today released an audit examining NASA's controls over loans of moon rocks and other astromaterials to researchers, exhibitors, and educators. NASA's collection of astromaterials includes approximately 140,000 lunar samples, 18,000 meteorite samples, and about 5,000 solar wind, comet, and cosmic dust samples. These samples constitute a rare and limited resource and serve an important role for research and education. As of March 2011, NASA had more than 26,000 astromaterial samples on loan."

The Misplaced Stuff: NASA loses moon, space rocks, AP

"In two cases, one researcher still had nine lunar samples he borrowed 35 years ago and another had 10 chunks of meteorites he kept for 14 years. Neither had ever worked on them. Another researcher had 36 moon samples and kept them for 16 years after he had finished his research."

- NASA IG Sends Cops in Flack Vests After 74 Year Old, 4'11" Grandmother, earlier post

- NASA IG Refuses To Comment on Official Abuse of Elderly Woman, earlier post

- NASA's Inconsistent Policy Regarding The Sale Of Apollo Era Items, earlier post

Keith's note: It should be abundantly clear by now that the NASA IG and General Counsel offices have no consistent policy whatsoever when it comes to selling historic Apollo era artifacts. In some cases you can sell pieces of the Moon, and in other cases you cannot. In some cases you can sell items used during Apollo missions, in other cases, you cannot. And of course, it is also acceptable practice to rough up little old ladies and threaten lawsuits against elderly former astronauts.

NASA Internal Memo: Lynn Cline Is Retiring From NASA

"Dear Colleagues: When I came to NASA for what was supposed to be a 3-month student internship, I had no idea NASA would become my life's work. I look back with great appreciation for all of the opportunities I have had. I have worked with many wonderful and dedicated people -- my NASA colleagues, partners in industry and academia, and international partners."

NASA Named One of Best Places To Work in Government

"NASA remains one of the best places to work in the federal government. In a survey released today by the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit, non-partisan organization, the agency retains its ranking of number five. The rankings draw on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's Employee Viewpoint Survey of more than 150,000 executive branch employees. The evaluation helps job-seekers assess agencies and federal managers improve their workplaces."

NASA headquarters, four other centers turn to buyouts, Government Executive

"Several NASA locations are offering buyouts and early retirement packages to employees. According to NASA public affairs specialist Grey Hautaluoma, the agency's headquarters in Washington on Nov. 7 offered buyout packages worth up to $25,000 per employee. While 147 employees are eligible for the offer, only 50 packages will be available. Employees must apply by Nov. 18. Four other NASA centers have extended separate buyout offers. The Kennedy Space Center in Florida offered 150 buyouts through Nov. 7, targeting the budget and legal offices, information technology and general administrative personnel. To date, almost all the applications have been processed."

Former Goddard Center Director John Townsend Dead at 87

"John W. "Jack" Townsend, Jr., a space pioneer who was among the first employees of the newly formed Goddard Space Flight Center in 1959 and later served as its Center Director from 1987 to 1990, died October 29 of lung cancer. He was 87. Townsend was a rocket and satellite pioneer who was influential in creating the first meteorological, communications, and Earth viewing satellite systems."

In Memory: Planetary Geologist Ronald Greeley

"Ronald Greeley, a Regents' Professor of planetary geology at Arizona State University who has been involved in lunar and planetary studies since 1967 and has contributed significantly to our understanding of planetary bodies within our solar system, died Oct. 27, in Tempe. He was 72. Greeley, a pioneer in the planetary geology field, served as the director of the NASA-ASU Regional Planetary Image Facility and principal investigator of the Planetary Aeolian Laboratory at NASA-Ames Research Center."

Special Facebook Page

Keith's note: Jack Forsythe has been removed from his position as Assistant Administrator for Protective Services at NASA HQ and has left the agency.

William H. Smyth passed away on Friday Sept. 30, 2011 after a long illness. Bill was a leader in planetary exospheres and conducted pioneering research on the exospheres of Io, Europa, Mercury, the moon, comets, and the Saturnian H cloud, especially in complex orbital environments. His expertise on Io's neutral clouds and the plasma torus were second to none. Go to: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bostonglobe/obituary.aspx?n =William-Smyth&pid=154005618 to sign a guest book for recording memories and condolences.)

Andy Dantzler

"Andy worked at NASA from 1984-2006, serving as an optical engineer, EOS manager, Landsat 7 manager, assistant chief of the Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics, and Director of the Solar System Exploration Division at NASA Headquarters. In 2006, Andy joined The Johns Hopkins University APL's Civilian Space Business Area to lead the Living with a Star Missions. Andy was also the first Program Manager for Solar Probe Plus, which will journey closer to the Sun than any probe has ever gone. Andy was promoted to Program Area Manager for Civilian Space in 2009, overseeing program management for projects such as the MESSENGER mission, now in orbit about Mercury and the New Horizons mission on its way to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt."

Former Florida shuttle workers still struggling to find jobs, Orlando Sentinel via Washington Post

"NASA officials predict the KSC workforce will number roughly 8,200 next year -- about half the 15,000 employed there in 2008. A few hundred contractors are giving the shuttles last rites before they, too, join their former colleagues in a brutal job market."

Kennedy Space Center to build new $300M HQ, Orlando Business Journal

"The project will "provide job potential through the design, engineering and construction to transition KSC from shuttles to new government and commercial vehicles," said Lynda Weatherman, president and CEO of the Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast. "This complex keeps talent local and enhances our overall competitiveness on the global economic development stage."

NASA Solicitation: Kennedy Space Center Space Processing and Manufacturing Capability

"NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is looking to preserve an inventory of processing and manufacturing equipment for current and future mission support. This Request for Information (RFI) describes this equipment, currently underutilized as a result of the transition from the Space Shuttle Program to the future mission activities authorized by Congress. NASA KSC is seeking to identify potential industry interest in the operation and/or maintenance of this NASA property."

Keith's note: Several months ago Assistant Associate Administrator for the International Space Station Mark Uhran had been telling people that he was going to leave NASA on or around 1 October. Those plans have apparently changed. Former Deputy Associate Administrator for NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate Laurie Leshin's departure led to a change in the new HEOMD management structure (due to the fusion of ESMD and SOMD) and Uhran is staying. Stay tuned.

NASA Internal Memo: Farewell Note from Doug Cooke

"This is my last day at NASA and writing to you is one of my final acts here. In looking back on my career at NASA that began in September of 1973, I have many great memories of working on Space Shuttle, Space Station, and Exploration. The memories are also of many great people like you that I have had the opportunity to work with and the many wonderful friends I have made within this community."

Memorial: Bill Muehlberger, University of Teaxs Austin

"The Jackson School community mourns the loss of Bill Muehlberger and extend their condolences to his family. He died of natural causes on Wednesday, September 14. An emeritus professor in geology, he taught at the University of Texas at Austin for nearly 40 years before officially retiring in 1992. He also taught geology to multiple generations of NASA astronauts beginning with Apollo."

Keith's note: Former JSC PAO chief Ellen Engleman-Connors has a new Job - as the US Coast Guard's Deputy Director of Governmental and Public Affairs. According to this Washington Post article from 2005, she is perfect for the job: "She often joked to colleagues that she was determined to live the life of a spinster aboard her houseboat on the Potomac with her five cats -- each of which had its own life preserver." NASA Watch wishes her well. Formal USCG notice below.

Keith's Note: NASA Chief Technologist Bobby Braun will be leaving NASA soon. He has told his staff and others that he plans to depart. Braun fought hard to bring new technology into the way that NASA does things but was thwarted by the lack of a meaningful budget with which to accomplish this task. He worked very hard at his job - and at trying to make this transformation at NASA - and deserves a round of applause for trying.

NASA Chief Technologist Braun Returning to Georgia Tech, NASA Internal Memo

"Joseph Parrish, the deputy chief technologist, will serve as acting NASA chief technologist. Parrish joined the Office of the Chief Technologist (OCT) in January from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., where he was responsible for technology assessment and mission architecture planning for future robotic missions to Mars."

NASA Internal Memo: Resignation Letter of NASA CTO Robert Braun

"The past few years have been a challenging time for the Agency as we have dealt with major transition in the human spaceflight enterprise, budget uncertainty, a wide range of collaboration opportunities, new partners, reduction of our institutional footprint, and initiatives designed to help our talented workforce retool and reinvent itself for success in the 21st century. For NASA, I believe that these changes have just begun. While such change is difficult, I believe that the more desperately an organization tries to hold on to today, the more likely it is that this same organization will not have a tomorrow. Please remember that the future starts today."

Stennis Space Center Gears For Takeoff, WDSU

"A major move at the Stennis Space Center is paving the way for jobs and expansion on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Officials said NASA and Stennis are officially taking over the 1.6 million square feet former Mississippi Army ammunition plant, which will become available for new government and commercial ventures that support the NASA mission. "Appropriate investment in the rocket testing infrastructure here at Stennis becomes more important than ever," Sen. Thad Cochran said."

Huntsville-based Teledyne Brown Engineering gets $383M defense contract, Huntsville Times

"After its announcement about plans for outer space with Aerojet, Teledyne Brown is branching out to "marine space." The Huntsville-based company has been awarded a contract valued at $383 million for a replacement craft to transport Special Operations Forces on their missions. The work is projected to add about 50 jobs here. The contract from the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) is to design, develop, test, manufacture and sustain the Shallow Water Combat Submersible (SWCS)."

NASA Names Terry Wilcutt Agency Safety Chief

"Terrence W. Wilcutt has been appointed NASA's chief of safety and mission assurance, effective Sept. 1. Wilcutt is a retired Marine colonel and veteran astronaut who is serving as director of safety and mission assurance at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. He will assume the post from Bryan O'Connor, who will retire from the agency on Aug. 31. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced the appointment Tuesday."

NASA'S Exploration Associate Administrator Doug Cooke To Retire

"Doug Cooke, who worked for nearly 38 years in NASA's space shuttle, International Space Station and exploration systems programs, will retire from the agency effective Oct. 3. Cooke most recently served as NASA's associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD), which is responsible for developing capabilities for sending humans deeper into space. Before retiring, Cooke will serve as deputy associate administrator for the agency's new Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate."

Latest round of NASA cutting threatens 600 jobs in Huntsville, Huntsville Times

"The latest round of NASA downsizing is threatening another 600 Huntsville jobs, officials said Thursday. How many will actually be laid off isn't clear, but is expected to be fewer than the number warned in accordance with federal law. U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville, said Friday that NASA leaders told Alabama lawmakers three weeks ago that upcoming layoffs would be in the 200-400 range. "Anything inconsistent with that, that's disappointing," Brooks said."

More Than 1,000 Shuttle Workers to Lose Jobs This Month, Space.com

"More than 1,000 workers at companies that worked on the space shuttle program will leave their jobs for good in August. While at least one major space shuttle contractor is laying off more employees than it projected in the lead up to last month's final space shuttle mission, at least two -- Houston-based United Space Alliance (USA) and Chicago-based Boeing -- will issue fewer pink slips in August than initially predicted."

Nearly 300 more aerospace jobs threatened in Huntsville, Huntsville Times

"Nearly 300 more aerospace jobs are threatened in Huntsville as Marshall Space Flight Center moves to what its director calls "a smaller, leaner center." Jacobs Technology ESTS group notified 281 workers in writing last week that their jobs could end on or before Oct. 1, the beginning of the federal government's new 2012 fiscal year. Jacobs has been Marshall's primary support contractor for engineering, science and technical services since 1989."

NASA Internal Memo: Agencywide Re-launch of the NASA@Work Collaborative Program

"Based on the overwhelming success of and participation with the NASA@Work pilot program, NASA is pleased to announce the official agencywide re-launch of the NASA@Work collaborative program. NASA@Work is an internal collaboration platform that connects the collective knowledge of individual experts from all areas within the NASA organization via a private web-based environment supported by InnoCentive. The platform provides a venue for Challenge Owners, those looking for solutions or new ideas, to pose challenges to internal Solvers, those within NASA with the skill and desire to create enlightened solutions. The Solvers who deliver the best innovative ideas can win awards and will be recognized for their contributions at the 2012 NASA Project Management (PM) Challenge."

Message from the NASA Administrator 29 July 2011

"As you know, Congress is debating how it plans to meet its obligations and raise the debt ceiling so that the country can pay its bills. The President expects that Congress will do its job, enact an increase of the debt ceiling that he can sign into law, and end this impasse. I am sending this note to remind you that NASA employees should plan to come to work next week, as scheduled, at their normal place and time."

Statement by Director John P. Holdren on the Passing of Jack Marburger

"It is with great sadness that I note the passing of Dr. John H. Marburger, III, former Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Science Advisor to President George W. Bush. Jack Marburger leaves a legacy of exceptional public service and substantial scientific contributions. He was the Nation's longest-serving Presidential Science Advisor, and his focus on basic research as a driver of economic growth was a common thread across Congresses and Administrations."

Keith's note: Word has it that Jon Morse, Astrophysics Division Director at SMD also announced his resignation today. FYI John Morse is married to Laurie Leshin so a joint departure/move by both of them sort of makes sense.

NASA Internal Memo: Senior Managers to Leave NASA for Academia

"Jon Morse, director of the Science Mission Directorate's Astrophysics Division and Laurie's husband, also will be leaving government to join RPI as the associate vice president for research."

NASA Internal Memo: Bryan O'Connor is Retiring From NASA

"I told my staff this morning that I plan to retire effective 31 August. From June, 2002, when Sean O'Keefe asked me to return to NASA for a third time to serve in this position, until this very day, I have been privileged to work on important projects with and among the best people in the world. Over time you have celebrated great successes and suffered and learned from horrific failures with determination, skill and a world beating attitude, and by so doing have kept me in a continuous state of awe."

Report: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, 2012

"The bill includes a provision that repeals existing prohibitions on the implementation of Reductions in Force or other involuntary separations."

Retirement from United States Navy and NASA, Mark Kelly

"After some time off, I will look at new opportunities and am hopeful that one day I will again serve our country."

Mark Kelly to retire, generating Senate buzz, The Hill

"Astronaut Mark Kelly, the husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), announced Tuesday he would retire Oct. 1.Kelly, a captain in both NASA and the Navy, has been mentioned as a possible Senate candidate in Arizona next year. Media reports throughout the state have said Kelly would be the leading choice for Democrats if Giffords is unable to run for retiring Sen. Jon Kyl's (R-Ariz.) seat. The space shuttle commander has said nothing to spark this talk, but his retirement announcement will likely increase the speculation."

Astronaut Mark Kelly; Arizona's next senator?, Washington Post

"Senator Mark Kelly? That's the question in political circles this week. The minute Kelly, 47, announced his retirement from the Navy and NASA Tuesday, the behind-the-scenes speculation that's been brewing for weeks went public: Will the husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords run for office himself?"

Boeing lays off 260 shuttle workers in Houston, Houston Chronicle

"Boeing today sent layoff notices to 510 employees - including 260 in Houston - involved in space shuttle work. The notices give 60 days advance notice of an expected job elimination. The workers' last day would be Aug. 5, pending the completion of the final space shuttle mission, STS-135. Boeing said in a statement that is working to keep as many workers as possible by moving employees to program such as the International Space Station work."

Boeing plans to lay off 150, Florida Today

"The Boeing Co. will lay off 150 of its 515 remaining Kennedy Space Center workers on Aug. 5. The layoffs would come later if the final shuttle launch, scheduled for July 8, is delayed. Nationwide, 510 Boeing employees were issued layoff notices Friday, including 260 employees in Houston and 100 in Huntington Beach, Calif." What goes up, also comes down: Space Shuttle jobs ending, Washington Post

"[John Berry, director of the Office of Personnel Management] said OPM will sponsor a job fair in Cocoa, Fla. in late July, which will include training on seeking positions listed on USAJOBS.gov. Also, NASA has created a Web site, www.jobsforaerospaceworkers.com, where federal agencies can post jobs and "find additional information about the skills of the available workforce."

Lee Scherer, KSC's 2nd leader, dies at 91, Florida Today

"Lee Scherer, who led Kennedy Space Center through its last major transition between human spaceflight programs, will be remembered in a service later this month near his home in San Diego, Calif. Scherer, KSC's second center director from 1975 to 1979, died May 7 at age 91. ... Joining NASA in 1962 on loan from the Navy, Scherer managed a program that launched five lunar orbiters mapping Apollo landing sites."

Keith's note: We were beyond thrilled to have Lee Scherer visit our Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project (LOIRP) operation at NASA Ames in November 2008 as we released the newly retrieved and restored "Earthrise" image taken by Lunar Orbiter 1 in 1966. As he walked into Building 596 (aka "McMoons" - it used to be a McDonalds) Lee was clearly stunned to see that we had found all of this old stuff and got it working again. We all had a tear in our eyes - it was like being in a Star Trek episode where something comes back from the past to a future where it simply should not exist.

At one point Lee told a story about some kids in his neighborhood who asked about an old picture he had hanging in his garage. Of course, it was the famous Earthrise image. You can imagine his reaction to seeing it presented in all its glory in a way not possible (technically) in 1966 - but in a way that now truly matched what one's mind's eye saw when this image first went viral in 1966. More than a generation later this image inspired the mission patch
for STS-130 - the shuttle flight that carried a piece of the summit of Mt. Everest and four small Apollo 11 moon rocks that had been to the summit up to the International Space Station. The past meets the future once again.

Ad astra Lee.

Photos of Lee's visit to McMoons and LOIRP here.

Keith's note: I just learned with great sadness of the passing of Bob Clark aka "Dr. Bob". Bob was the guy who hired me to work at NASA as a civil servant on the Space Station Freedom Program in 1990. Bob was my first introduction to "old NASA". He cut his teeth in the Apollo and Skylab days when you needed good design and operations since there was no software to fix those things when your butt was on the line. I have to say that probably learned more from him than any other person I worked for at NASA.

He let me know when I screwed up and defended me like a mother wolverine when I was right. He taught me the rules and how to break them - and the value of learning to work with friends - and co-opt one's enemies - as a team. For that I am forever indebted.

I'll never forget the time he stood guard outside several offices with closed doors as a co-worker and I installed a pirate Mac Appletalk network above the ceilings of the offices of people who were in a staff meeting at the time. "Its easier to ask forgiveness than permission" Bob would often say.

The other day I gave Joe Rothenberg and Ed Lu a tour of the old Titan 1 ICBM we're fixing up at ARC. I mentioned Bob by name as I talked about the value of old elegant design and how it still had lessons to teach. I also gave Nancy Conrad a tour of the rocket that day. Bob worked on the Skylab repair with her late husband Pete. I had a similar chat with her. We're going to restore this old thing in away that will teach future generations. I guess Bob must have been sending me messages through that old rocket on that day.

Bob liked Farside cartoons, good BBQ and beer after a day of arguing in design reviews, and despite his sharp mind and wisdom he never managed to find a way to match his clip-on ties with the shirt and sans-a-belt slacks he was wearing. Bob had a collection of horrid ties that he stored on the blinds in his office. When he had to wear one as "boss" he'd just grab one at random - without looking - and clip it on.

My kind of boss.

Ad Astra Dr. Bob.

Richard Weeden Underwood

"Dick was chief engineer on the production of the first topographic maps of the moon. He was the first person to view every photograph from the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Apollo-Soyuz and the first 23 space shuttle missions. He also provided technical training to every astronaut who went into space in the twentieth century. During his NASA career he presented 1506 lectures to audiences all over the world. He loved to travel and visited every county in the U.S."

NASA Space Shuttle Contractor Announces Layoffs for 2,800 Workers, Space.com

"The NASA contractor responsible for most of the work of maintaining the space shuttles announced Friday (April 15) that it will have to lay off almost 50 percent of its employees - up to 2,800 workers - after the shuttle program shuts down this year."

Shuttle prime contractor details major layoffs, SpaceflightNow

"Through earlier layoffs and attrition, USA's workforce in Florida, Texas and Alabama has dropped from around 10,500 in October 2009 to a current level of around 5,600. In late July or early August, the company will implement another major workforce reduction, affecting between 2,600 and 2,800 employees across the company. Of that total, 1,850 to 1,950 job losses are expected in Florida, 750 to 800 in Texas and 30 to 40 in Alabama."

USA Announces End-of-Program Workforce Reduction, USA

"USA currently employs approximately 5,600 employees at its Florida, Texas and Alabama sites. The reduction in force will affect multiple disciplines and multiple organizations across the company. The reduction is expected to impact between 2600-2800 company-wide, including 1850-1950 employees in Florida, 750-800 employees in Texas, and 30-40 in Alabama."

Revised NASA Shutdown Plan Submitted to OMB

"Pursuant to OMB Circular A-1 1, Section 124.2, NASA is hereby submitting a revised shutdown plan in the event of a lapse in appropriations, replacing the plan submitted to OMB on December 16, 1995. In this plan, NASA continues to require each NASA Center to provide protection of life and property. The decision on what personnel should be excepted from furlough is very fact specific, and Directors in charge of NASA Centers are in the best position to make detailed decisions regarding the suspension of ongoing, regular functions which could imminently threaten the safety of human life or the protection of property."

Government Shutdown Would Idle All but 500 NASA Workers, SpaceNews

"All but about 500 of NASA's 19,000 civil servants would be furloughed if the Congress and White House fail to reach a deal to keep the federal government operating beyond April 8. Among the employees who would not be allowed to work are those preparing the Space Shuttle Endeavour for its scheduled April 29 launch."

Keith's 8 April update: False alarm - for now.

Notice of Furlough Status for NASA Headquarters Civil Service Employees

"All NASA Headquarters employees, unless individually informed today, April 7, 2011, via an email message from Yvette Coles, Acting Director, Headquarters Human Resources Management Division, are designated as non-excepted. This means that, if funding lapses, you will be furloughed. Our contingency plan assumes that International Space Station activities will continue to protect the lives of the crew members on orbit and the safety and security of the space station. Existing satellite missions in operation also will continue to protect the satellites and the data being collected. In addition, all other activities involving protection of life and property will continue. All other agency activities not determined to be legally exempt will close, including all satellites in development. Our contingency planning for the potential funding lapse includes legal determination of which agency functions are excepted from a furlough. These determinations have been made."

Ala. NASA center cutting up to 300 jobs, AP

"Center spokesman Dominic Amatore told The Huntsville Times on Wednesday that a combination of factors led to the layoffs. He cites the lack of a federal budget for this year, continued funding by stop-gap measures and cuts in this year's budget including nearly $300 million removed from the line-item that funds general operations at all of NASA's centers."

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center cuts spending and up to 300 more jobs in Huntsville, Huntsville Times

"A statement issued by Marshall today said that, "Due to budget constraints, Marshall Space Flight Center officials have conducted a comprehensive review of all institutional procurement and other expenditures and established funding priorities, ensuring that essential Center functions are maintained and that operational capabilities are in no way compromised."

Keith's note: I learned with profound sadness last night that Baruch Blumberg died suddenly yesterday. He was in a small meeting focused upon how to move humanity off this world onto others. His passing was swift - and true to form he was enthused and learning up until his last breath.

Barry was one of those people you only meet once in a lifetime. He was truly a transcendent person - as humble as he was accomplished. Barry was a true Renaissance man in every sense - one who I was deeply honored to call a friend. And he counted many, many people among his friends.

I spent more than one dinner with him, talking about biochemistry, cattle ranching, rock climbing in Wales when he was in his 60s - he even visited Devon Island at an age when most folks have given up travelling altogether.

Barry was a Nobel Laureate and was the first director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute. NASA has never enticed anyone finer to join its ranks. Barry's choice for NAI went vastly beyond the norm - and Dan Goldin was the one who made that choice. Goldin entered into another realm of inspiration when he picked Barry to run NAI (Barry had a habit of doing that to people) and that decision will affect the course of Astrobiology for decades to come.

I managed to reach Dan Goldin on Barry's passing. He told me "The world has lost a great man. Barry saved lives through his research on the Hepatitis B virus. He also inspired a whole generation of people world wide through his work in building the NASA Astrobiology Institute. On a personal level, he improved my life through his friendship. Our planet is an improved place as a result of Barry's few short days in residence."

Sean O'Keefe told me this morning that Blumberg "impressed me as a man whose humility was only surpassed by his capacity to inspire a new generation of scientists to pursue the human passion to want to learn from everything around us. He truly was a remarkable man."

NASA is placing the work of another Nobel Laureate (AMS) on-orbit in a few weeks. Maybe something reminiscent of Barry Blumberg could be placed on it ... it would be fitting since Barry truly did know something about everything and yet still sought to learn more up until his last moments on this planet.

Ad Astra, Barry.

- Astrobiology at T+5 Years, Baruch S. Blumberg and Keith Cowing, Ad Astra Magazine
- Web of Stories - Baruch Blumberg - A field trip to Devon Island (video)

Kennedy Space Center probes illegal-drug find, Florida Today

"NASA is investigating the finding of apparent illegal drugs at Kennedy Space Center for the second time in a little more than a year. Preliminary field tests indicated that 4.2 grams of a white powdery substance found March 7 was cocaine, said Renee Juhans, a spokeswoman for NASA's Office of Inspector General, which is conducting the investigation. "The substance is now at an accredited crime lab for further testing," she said."

Cocaine found again at Kennedy Space Center, My Fox Orlando

"This is the second time in a year that drugs have been found at NASA. In January 2010 a plastic bag with cocaine residue was found near a restroom in the restricted hangar where the space shuttle Discovery was being prepared for a mission flight."

Up to 250 JPL employees could face layoffs as NASA deals with budget uncertainties, Pasadena Star-News

"NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory plans to lay off an estimated 200 to 250 employees before the end of March as the space agency deals with evolving federal budget constraints, a JPL official said Wednesday. President Obama's budget proposal calling for keeping NASA's budget flat at about $18.7 billion through fiscal year 2012 and beyond would mean delays in several projects now in the pipeline, while ongoing projects would be fully funded. "If we can make a small reduction in work force now we will have enough money to keep going for the remainder of the year," Richard O'Toole, executive manager of JPL's office of legislative affairs, said Wednesday."

NASA to stay put in Southwest D.C. building, Washington Business Journal

"The General Services Administration said Thursday it has signed a 597,253-square-foot lease for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration at Piedmont Office Realty Trust Inc.'s 300 E St. SW, opting for the space agency to stay in place at its current headquarters."

NASA, OCC deals cause Southwest D.C. shuffle, Washington Business Journal

"Piedmont will renovate Two Independence Square in phases as part of the NASA deal, swinging some workers into two downtown buildings at 1201 and 1225 Eye St. NW."

NASA Internal Memo Shared Services Director Richard Arbuthnot Is Leaving

"The past 7 years of my career have been focused on designing, developing, implementing, and stabilizing the NSSC, and I have never worked with a more talented, dedicated group of individuals than the NSSC team."

NASA OIG: "Flawed Data" Data Behind Shared Services Center Projected Savings

"...the OIG found that NASA's claim that creation of the NSSC would save the Agency $121 million over a 10-year period (fiscal years 2006 through 2015) was based on flawed data and is therefore inaccurate. Our analysis determined that cost data supplied by the Centers, which was essential in determining the baseline cost calculations and return-on-investment projections, were not reliable or verifiable." 

Usa Informs Employees Of Layoff, Florida Today

"United Space Alliance by Friday will notify 548 Kennedy Space Center employees that they will be laid off on April 8. Some 697 USA employees companywide will be laid off, including 145 in Houston and four in Huntsville, Ala."

Court says NASA background checks can continue, Federal News Radio

"The Supreme Court says background checks of low-risk employees at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California can continue. The high court on Wednesday overturned a lower court decision that had stopped the space agency's investigations of the contract workers. The workers claimed NASA was invading their privacy by requiring the investigations, which included probes into medical records and questioning of friends about everything from their finances to their sex lives."

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION ET AL. v. NELSON ET AL., Supreme Court

Earlier posts

Ohio ex-NASA worker charged over military exports, Washington Post

"Authorities say Chun exported infrared focal-plane array detectors and infrared camera engines. They say Chun is a former employee at the NASA Glenn Research Center but is not accused of taking technology from the center."

Former NASA Employee Charged with Illegally Exporting Military Technology to South Korea, FBI

"Chun is a longtime employee at the NASA Glenn Research Center, though he is not accused of taking technology or related materials from the research center."

Keith's 6 Jan note: Granville Paules has died. Details to follow. Official bio. According to one reader "Mr. Pauls was launch GUIDO for Apollo 11 and 13 among other significant flights, served as a GUIDO throughout the 13 crisis, and was YAW on the white team during Eagle's landing at Tranquillity."

Keith's update: A memorial services is scheduled at Christ Episcopal Church in Rockville, MD at 3:00 pm on Saturday, Jan. 15, 2011