NASA Houston Chief: "This is Going to be a Difficult Time"

NASA Internal E-mail | June 10, 2010 | Michael Coats - NASA/JSC Center Director

[anymouse]

This memo was just received by NASA Houston space workers, from the center director, ex-astronaut Mike Coats, who is now in Russia.

It underscores the grim realities of near-term major layoffs, as described in my advisory earlier today.

"Replanning" is the new NASA jargon for "slash to the bone", it seems.

_____________________________________________

From: Coats, Michael {Jsc-Center-Director}(JSC-AA111)

Sent: Thursday, June 10, 2010 1:45 PM

To: JSC-DL-JSC-Civil-Servants; JSC-DL-JSC-Contractors

Subject: Constellation Program FY2010 Replanning Update

I am writing from Russia, awaiting the next ISS crew launch from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, which is currently scheduled next Tuesday. Yesterday, NASA management directed Constellation Program management to replan its FY2010 content. I wanted to provide you with an update as quickly as possible.

This morning, Ellen Ochoa met with our civil service supervisors from across the Center as well as members of the Joint Leadership Team to discuss replanning of Constellation operations for the remainder of this fiscal year.

Ellen was joined by Dale Thomas, Acting Constellation Program Manager, and Charlie Stegemoeller, Constellation Program Planning and Control Manager. They noted that the Constellation Program has been given the authority to proceed immediately to assign preliminary adjustments and funding reductions. This replan will have an impact on contracts, workforce, and planned content of the Constellation Program.

We don’t know the specific impacts at the Center levels or at JSC yet. The Program is working through the projects and implementing organizations to determine plans and numbers of team members that will be affected.

Debra Johnson, our JSC Procurement Officer, is convening discussions with Contracting Officers and their technical representatives across the Center to determine how to best support the necessary contract re-planning efforts.

Natalie Saiz, our JSC Human Resources Director, is meeting with the HR Principals from all of our local contractors tomorrow to discuss resources available to JSC Team members.

Following the meetings this morning, Ellen asked the supervisors to meet with their teams to explain these latest developments. In addition, I plan to communicate with you frequently over the next several weeks.

This is going to be a difficult time for the JSC Team. I encourage you to reach out and support one another during this process.

Mike

[M. Dodge Thomas]

It sometimes astonishes me that people highly critical of the efficiency of government programs are so often willing to make an exception for NASA.

The Constellation program isn’t about innovation, it’s about gradual refinement of existing technologies.

If you want to look for innovation in such technology, look to the various private efforts attempting to reduce it’s cost, in some cases by an order of magnitude.

[Bean Counter]

Just wait until Fall when the last shuttle mission is flown...then you’ll really see the pink slips flying....

[ForAmerica]

This sucks for our area and our economy, which is not bad! Does the Turd in Chief have it in for Texas? They were talking about new regulations for our refineries in the Baytown and Texas City area, even though their safety records are above national standards.

[The Working Man]

Your comment about the NASA Engineer voting his “Conscience” really struck a nerve with me. When I was still a contractor back in 2008 I had several “political” discussions with co-workers. One of whom was the department manager. And he said that he was going to vote for Obama. When I asked him why he told me this:

I don’t know much about his politics or his positions but it’s going to be historic to vote for the First Black President.

I knew then, (actually I knew about two years earlier), that it was time to get out of Dodge. I managed to escape in late 2009 and I am so glad I did. I called up some of my friends there recently. Things haven’t gotten any better and in many ways are very much for the worse. Lot’s of threats on dismissal from the company for all sorts of things. Not a very good working environment at all. Unless you are in the union that is. But that’s a story for another time and place.

[raygun]

So what?

And who in the F cares?

The U.S.A. does not NEED a space prgoram whatsoever?

AY?

[raygun]

Who Cares?

There are great important issues more important...

[wbill]

it’s going to be historic to vote for the First Black President.

So many people didn't vote for BO, they were just voting for themselves.

"I voted for The First Black President!!! I'm a part of HISTORY!"

"Hey, I'm not a bigot! I voted for The First Black President"!

And so on. BO's problem is that it's a card that can only be played one time. 2012 is going to give hime problems, I think.

[The Working Man]

“And so on. BO’s problem is that it’s a card that can only be played one time. 2012 is going to give him problems, I think.”

---

Yes, I believe you are right. Of course there are still two Years Plus some months and days until the vote. He and his “crew” can still lay waste to everything around us.

[GraceG]

When it comes to Rockets the main force holding them back isn’t Gravity but the sheer amount of Government mandated paperwork.

[June2]

I will agree that the contractors do the majority of the work....that's what we hire them to do. NASA’s job is to oversee and double check their work to help ensure safety. I am truly heartbroken that so many hard working, talented and dedicated folks are going to losing their jobs. It is a difficult time.

Yes, I am a NASA gov’t employee....have been for over 20 years. I work hard for my pay. I know that there are many govt workers that don't work as hard as private industry workers, but please don't paint with such a broad brush.

I work with a lot of engineers....it's been my experience that most engineers are conservatives...there are exceptions, however, I think most folks that are trained to look objectively at data(facts) tend to be conservatives...not all but most.

I am dismayed at what NASA is being turned into. (Don't even get me started on Global Warming!) Many of us would love nothing more than to have commercial space become viable. The more folks involved the better. (Personally, I would love to fly in space before I die.)
Unfortunately, I think that the current space policy hasn't been thought out with all the consequences understood.

Not all of us believe in gov’t jobs for a jobs sake. Some of us truly believe in exploring and understanding the universe. I believe human existence depends on it. I'm not just trying to have a cushy gov’t job, I'm trying to help further our knowledge base....hopefully, this knowledge will help mankind now and in the future.

I will tell you that I feel very blessed to have been working in manned space flight for these 20+ years. It is truly an amazing place to work. NASA and it's contractors truly have a Can Do attitude! The things that go on behind the scenes are truly amazing.

ok, I'll get off my soapbox...sorry for the rant.

[anymouse]

I will stipulate that there are some civil servants (Gold badgers) like yourself that actually do earn their paychecks at NASA (and aren't "gold brickers", as I have worked along side them (possibly even you) over many years. But your elitist attitude of "that's what we hire them to do" and your fearlessness to post your comments on FR (potentially in violation of the Hatch Act), illustrates the two tiers of status within the NASA work environment. Contractors working hard, in fear of being fired at any time for nearly any reason, including offending the political sensibilities of a NASA manager. While NASA workers have little fear of losing their jobs for even blatant ethical or even criminal behavior. Ancient Rome gave their slaves more rights and respect than NASA gives it's contractor workforce.

You also touch on another observation of mine, that engineers (which often are contractors) tend to be more conservative by nature, while scientists and business administrative types (which then to get hired by NASA) tend to be more liberal in their views. Thus their is an obvious political motive to Democrat Administrations and majority Congress to push bloated science projects top heavy with administrative staff, rather than engineering projects. Reward and punishment via pork is no stranger to NASA. It also fosters the abusive work environment I mentioned above. "Badge-neutral work environment, my @ss!"

[June2]

I am sorry that I have upset you...that wasn't my goal. I did not mean to come off as elitist...I thought I was stating a fact. I have the greatest respect and a good working relationship with the contractors that I interface with. I do believe that the contractor does not get the credit they deserve in doing the lions share of the work. that's due mainly to how the media reports on the work that we all do....everyone's a NASA tech or NASA worker, rarely does the contractor's name get mentioned. That is unfortunate.

When I hired onto NASA many moons ago, I was thinking of the awesome opportuinity to work on something historic. I didn't think about contractor versus government. My goal and focus is on helping to explore and understand the vast unknown of space, because I think that our future depends on it. Historically governments have funded exploriations of new worlds until it becomes cost effective for private interests. Perhaps we are there now....I hope we are.

As for the Hatch Act, I am not in violation...here is an excerpt from the Office of Special Counsel regarding what government employees may do:

be candidates for public office in nonpartisan elections

register and vote as they choose

assist in voter registration drives

express opinions about candidates and issues

contribute money to political organizations

attend political fundraising functions

attend and be active at political rallies and meetings

join and be an active member of a political party or club

sign and circulate nominating petitions

campaign for or against referendum questions, constitutional amendments, municipal ordinances

campaign for or against candidates in partisan elections

make campaign speeches for candidates in partisan elections

distribute campaign literature in partisan elections

hold office in political clubs or parties

volunteer to work on a partisan political campaign

I believe in limited government and states rights. We can get bogged down in the details, but I would rather find common ground... I hope limited/Constitutional government is something that most here agree on.

I hope we can emphasize what we agree on and not what divides us. That is the only way that we will succeed.

Again, I apologize for upsetting you...that wasn't my goal.

[anymouse]

You misunderstood me. How can I be mad at you? I don’t even know you.

I just used your post to educate FReepers on the disparity working environment at NASA (and other Federal Agencies as well.) The fact that you don’t see the hypocrisy inherent in your comments was my point. I imagine most people that work for NASA (civil service or contractor) went to work there with the noblest intentions (and many still believe they still have the best intentions), but that changes little the damage they cause to the goal they profess to have - opening space for all.

Again some of this is a science vs. engineering debate of what should be done in space - study/explore it vs. develop/colonize it. Scientists are happy to keep space exclusive, dangerous and expensive. If the rest of use are to really get a chance to actually do something in space, it has to become open, safer and affordable. NASA has very little motivation to forward these causes, even when threatened with financial/political starvation. They just jettison the contractors and reduce their grandiose plans. As long as THEY keep their paycheck, they can always come up with some ridiculously frivolous aspect of space to study - they don’t even have the “publish or perish” motivation that drives the academic research community to occasionally do something to justify their funding.

Although you are not technically in violation of the Hatch Act (it is good that you are aware of what is clearly out of bounds), it could be argued that you are dancing on the edge of the intention of the Hatch Act to avoid government employees from advocating greater funding of their employer, the government, at the expense of the citizens who actually pay them. But don’t feel too bad, everyone from 0bama to the lowliest SEIU janitor feels entitled to lobby to take more money out of our pockets to put into their own.