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4k NASA employees opt to leave agency through deferred resignation program

kcrw.com

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Re: 4k NASA employees opt to leave agency through deferred resignation program

#151

Post by NooneAtAll3 »

eagerpace wrote: post #125

I’m trying to think how I feel about this. I’ve been obsessed with space for a long time, remember traveling to see my first rocket launch of the shuttle in 2006. Follow the commercial development closely since then. Their science missions are inspiring, but not as inspiring as they ought to be. NASA needs an overhaul. This isn’t how I would do it, but that’s not how things work in the real world. SLS is the elephant…

SLS is elephant in the room - but Mars Sample Return is arguably even worse

Money for SLS is separate part of the budget, its mismanagement causes reputational damage - MSR budget is part of NASA probe budget, mismanagement there causes stall, worse performances and cancellations for AWFUL amount of other projects

Re: 4k NASA employees opt to leave agency through deferred resignation program

#152

Post by Robotbeat »

kubb wrote: post #32

So basically, Elon Musk is eating NASA, and people are cheering.

Nope, this is Russell Vought and the OMB. The anti-tech-bro group (the brainworm faction, courtesy of RFK Jr) that fought with Elon and successfully got him kicked out of the throne room. Elon registered his opposition to the huge science cuts at NASA in the President’s budget request.

Re: 4k NASA employees opt to leave agency through deferred resignation program

#153

Post by samrus »

I understand wanting to make the organization more efficient, but i don't think this is what's happening here. I think this is the classic republican strat of gutting federal agencies, pointing to the inefficiencies caused by the loss of institutional knowledge, and using that as an excuse to privatize to their friends.

The fact that Elon's DOGE suggested these cuts lines up

Re: 4k NASA employees opt to leave agency through deferred resignation program

#154

Post by mosesbp »

Does anyone have access to a copy of the NASA statement on this that was shared with the media? It makes a big difference where in NASA these people were employed - this is the difference between slimming down an engineering division or cancelling one launch project and the total destruction of a smaller program for physics, which may have a much longer-term impact on US science.

Re: 4k NASA employees opt to leave agency through deferred resignation program

#155

Post by toomuchtodo »

justin66 wrote: post #143
eagerpace wrote: post #125

I’m trying to think how I feel about this. I’ve been obsessed with space for a long time, remember traveling to see my first rocket launch of the shuttle in 2006. Follow the commercial development closely since then. Their science missions are inspiring, but not as inspiring as they ought to be. NASA needs an overhaul. This isn’t how I would do it, but that’s not how things work in the real world. SLS is the elephant…

> NASA needs an overhaul. This isn’t how I would do it, but that’s not how things work in the real world. SLS is the elephant in the room and is a complete disaster. It’s a jobs program limping along decades old technology when the commercial options are better. It’s more accurate to say that Congress needs an overhaul. Over the years NASA administrators have pushed back on SLS to the fullest extent you’d expect, but…

It’s going to kill institutional knowledge and be so expensive to repair after regime change.

Re: 4k NASA employees opt to leave agency through deferred resignation program

#156

Post by Balgair »

bradley13 wrote: post #59

I'm sure the bureaucracy can stand some serious cutting. However, with voluntary programs like this, you tend to lose the best people.

Hot Take:

Maybe this DOGE approach of sledgehammering the bureaucracies is all there is left to do?

Look, I have family that works for the Feds. I have also collected money from federal programs. I know the pain that is coming and is here. It really really sucks, and it will suck for me too, though not as badly.

But the 'scalpel' approach where you go in, understand the system, take out the bad parts, leave the good, don't get rid of the best people and programs; yeah, it doesn't work very well either. I've seen it tried in a few organizations, some have had a little success, most have not. What usually happens is that the most politically connected programs and people stay and the least are cut, and only after years of twaddling and overspending anyway. THe people that are there to cut things get swamped in meetings and smoke blown up their ass from every direction; they are made incompetent by design, and so the cuts are incompetent too.

I'm not about to say that I have any idea of the history of NASA spending cuts or those of the US gov in general. I know SLS is a dumb program but only because I know people that say that.

But, again, Hot Take, maybe the only thing left to try is the sledgehammer?

Re: 4k NASA employees opt to leave agency through deferred resignation program

#157

Post by eagerpace »

jordanb wrote: post #144
eagerpace wrote: post #125

I’m trying to think how I feel about this. I’ve been obsessed with space for a long time, remember traveling to see my first rocket launch of the shuttle in 2006. Follow the commercial development closely since then. Their science missions are inspiring, but not as inspiring as they ought to be. NASA needs an overhaul. This isn’t how I would do it, but that’s not how things work in the real world. SLS is the elephant…

> SLS is the elephant in the room and is a complete disaster SLS isn't great but it does.. you know.. work.

Does it? Do we want to repeat what we did 50 years ago or do we want to do something better and stay this time?

Re: 4k NASA employees opt to leave agency through deferred resignation program

#158

Post by Robotbeat »

arghandugh wrote: post #2

Thanks, tech industry! A generational disruption in all forms of science and the destruction of the crown jewels of America’s last century, but at least now you get to be ruled by a violent senile pedophile and his deranged crackhead enablers.

FWIW, this is the brainworm faction that fought the techbro faction and got them kicked out of the throne room. Think Russell Vought and the OMB, not Elon. Elon registered his disapproval of the huge science cuts in the President’s budget request. The nominated techbro NASA administrator was cancelled because he wasn’t anti-science enough.

Re: 4k NASA employees opt to leave agency through deferred resignation program

#159

Post by jordanb »

belter wrote: post #148
jordanb wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> SLS is the elephant in the room and is a complete disaster SLS isn't great but it does.. you know.. work.

Except for the under powered orbits but that is a whole other issue. https://youtu.be/XFIvKSVRtZ0 https://youtu.be/sGT-8PHSVso

While it's hard to get the truth out of SpaceX but there's reliable evidence that the block one starship wasn't anywhere near its mass to orbit projections which is why they rushed the block two design which stopped their progress practically cold.

Re: 4k NASA employees opt to leave agency through deferred resignation program

#160

Post by Balgair »

verzali wrote: post #95
magicloop wrote: post #40

The real game the current administration is playing is to land on Mars before their current term expires. This mirrors the political, prestige, and technology triumph of the Kennedy administration. This is why the BBB Bill refocussed on the Mars mission despite having cuts. What is being cut is otherwise a symptom of the budget deficit (7%) and the fact that politically they cut areas where there are not republican v…

They're not going to land on Mars by 2028.

Yes, but the administration doesn't know that.
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