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

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

#121

Post by orochimaaru »

rockskon wrote: post #73

NASA has been downsizing a lot. Friend of mine is a contractor for NASA who has been trained as a parts engineer for sourcing and testing electronic components that go into satellites and spacecrafts will be out of a job in a few months as her entire branch is eliminating all contractor positions. Now she has a specialized skillset that isn't very readily transferable to other local companies and industries. Sucks. C…

Why won’t the skillset be transferable to places like space x, Amazon kuiper, blue origin, or any of the big defense tech or start ups (eg anduril)?

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

#122

Post by MisterSandman »

maxerickson wrote: post #116
nradov wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is zero chance that humans will land on Mars before the end of the current administration. It isn't technically feasible. They are not seriously planning on this.

I don't think we should underestimate how poor their grasp of technical reality might be.

And I hate to say it, but in this context, Musk would’ve been at least a little useful in having around. I’m aware he’s not the best person to make reliable predictions, but he does run SpaceX.

With both the cuts to NASA and Musk leaving the core inner circle of Trump, space exploration is going to be set back. Mars ain’t happening in our lifetimes, IMO.

I hope I’m wrong.

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

#123

Post by Demiurge »

15155 wrote: post #78
exe34 wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Trump came with a "believable" story If they believed Trump, they deserve everything they get. Sadly those who didn't believe didn't vote enough.

> If they believed Trump, they deserve everything they get. Is it a matter of "belief," or could it possibly be an optimal strategy to secure potentially two more Supreme Court nominations?

I wonder, is this what you’d say if “they” believed the Nigerian prince email? Everyone believes something outside of their expertise, everyone is riding the tide to some extent.

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

#124

Post by Robotbeat »

rockskon wrote: post #73

NASA has been downsizing a lot. Friend of mine is a contractor for NASA who has been trained as a parts engineer for sourcing and testing electronic components that go into satellites and spacecrafts will be out of a job in a few months as her entire branch is eliminating all contractor positions. Now she has a specialized skillset that isn't very readily transferable to other local companies and industries. Sucks. C…

The satellite industry in the US is larger than ever, FWIW.

Between Starlink, OneWeb, Kuiper, plus a gazillion startups like Astranis, K2 Space, etc, not to mention defense satellites, there has never been a time when more satellites have been launched by the U.S.

I think your friend will be fine. The real issue is the capability loss for NASA.

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

#125

Post by eagerpace »

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 in the room and is a complete disaster. It’s a jobs program limping along decades old technology when the commercial options are better. You can debate some of the specifics, sure, but if all this current state of uncertainty brings is a clean slate and new ways of thinking in 4 years, that’s better IMHO than looking back 4 years from now watching NASA brute force a token moon landing on the back of ancient technology. Which they may still do!

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

#126

Post by john-h-k »

jimbo808 wrote: post #65
pi-err wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You could swap "tech" for "big media" and just play the same blame game for Reagan's and Bush Jr's elections. > the crown jewels of America’s last century Including Nasa in this pure idealization of the past. Nasa had many flaws that enabled a catastrophic Shuttle program and then the slow loss of US go-to-LEO capability. There's probably more to expect of US investment in space without incompetent or contradictory m…

Do you remember when a President of the United States was impeached for an affair with an adult intern? Do you remember when a Republican presidential nominee defended his opponent from a racist question at a Republican Rally, calling him a "decent family man?" -- Then, can you think of a time when a POTUS committed a pump a security he was selling, only to dump it immediately after his inauguration, and it it was ba…

Okay but doesn’t seem relevant to how effective NASA currently is

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

#127

Post by reactordev »

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…

Anytime you have subcontractors of the subcontractor of the prime contract holder, you’re going to get construction projects that go 20 years. It’s totally a jobs program. Job security and predictable pay outs.

The entire space coast of Florida was built on this, from Kennedy Space Center down to Jupiter, FL.

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

#128

Post by nradov »

LtWorf wrote: post #108
nradov wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're being disingenuous. There will be some bad actors in any large organization. That doesn't make stay-behind organizations in general a bad idea. Sometimes younger people today fail to realize that Communism once represented an existential threat to human civilization.

If your ideology is "it's ok to kill any amount of people to avoid someone I don't like to be democratically elected somewhere in the world" I don't think we will ever agree.

[flagged]

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

#129

Post by zoklet-enjoyer »

enraged_camel wrote: post #117
jimbo808 wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you remember when a President of the United States was impeached for an affair with an adult intern? Do you remember when a Republican presidential nominee defended his opponent from a racist question at a Republican Rally, calling him a "decent family man?" -- Then, can you think of a time when a POTUS committed a pump a security he was selling, only to dump it immediately after his inauguration, and it it was ba…

[flagged]

[flagged]

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

#130

Post by orbisvicis »

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…

If only you could offer congress deferred resignations...
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