NASA Force • Hacker News Board

Re: NASA Force

#231

Post by SilentM68 » Fri, Apr 17, 2026, 11:11 PM UTC

casefields wrote: post #224

aaronharnly wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

2027 White House proposed budget[1]: $18.8 billion 2026 White House proposed budget[2]: $18.8 billion [1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/budget... [2] https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Fiscal... [2] is represented as deltas, explainer here https://spacenews.com/white-house-budget-proposal-would-phas...

Congress passes the budget since they have the power of the purse. Presidents have requested all sorts of nonsense to appease the base.

That is true, but in all fairness, every politician has at one time, or another requested all sorts of nonsense to appease the base, not just presidents hence the term "political lobbying". If you look up the definition of 'politics," it's the method or strategy: sometimes used to describe the tactics, schemes, or "art" used to gain influence, sometimes carrying a negative connotation of manipulation or intrigue. Everybody has done it since the beginning of time :|

Re: NASA Force

#232

Post by gigatexal » Fri, Apr 17, 2026, 11:12 PM UTC

Why anyone would willingly leave the private sector to work for this administration of charlatans, rapists, drunkards and grifters is beyond me.

Wait till there’s a new administration. Vote for sanity first. Then let government stabilize. Then join. Not now.

Re: NASA Force

#233

Post by ahhhhnoooo » Fri, Apr 17, 2026, 11:15 PM UTC

stronglikedan wrote: post #177

sailfast wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They had these kinds of programs for a long time, but many of the engineers were vilified and the programs disbanded as soon as this administration took office. I'm not sure why someone would sign up to work for a government that has no respect for its employees (or a company for that matter) if they already have gainful employment. In fact, a bunch of NASA labs were recently closed where folks with this exact skills…

[flagged]

They fired talented engineers and technologists because they were trans.

It's not a meritocracy right now. Good people were fired based on their identity alone.

Re: NASA Force

#234

Post by ahhhhnoooo » Fri, Apr 17, 2026, 11:20 PM UTC

ButlerianJihad wrote: post #201

I would personally give anything to work with, next to, alongside, or near Chelsea Gohd, aka Foxanne, the foxiest ever NASA spokeswoman and outreach narrator https://youtu.be/gNwkawLGDkg?si=tY6FCMtTsOQNRfHG

Lol. Gross. Weird comment.

Re: NASA Force

#235

Post by SauntSolaire » Fri, Apr 17, 2026, 11:21 PM UTC

alephnerd wrote: post #107

hellojesus wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks. I was dual questioning people that likely knew the answer and lamenting my life's decisions. I have no doubt that modern engineering students have CS know-how. It's almost a requirement for the modern world. But I was curious if there were roles for things like simulation, embedded software, etc. or even general scientists that may not fall under traditional engineering. This was mainly conditional on the web…

> simulation That's largely a Mechanical Engineering, Applied Math, and Applied Physics subfield now, not computer science. Most CS majors don't even know what an IVP is, let alone PDEs, nonlinear simulation, etc. Most CS programs no longer require numerical methods and analysis classes which are critical for this as well as other adjacent subfields like AI/ML theory. > embedded software That's a computer engineering…

> embedded software

> That's a computer engineering and MechE subfield now.

Do you mean EE subfield? I don't know many ME's working on embedded software.

Re: NASA Force

#236

Post by ahhhhnoooo » Fri, Apr 17, 2026, 11:21 PM UTC

beej71 wrote: post #13

Wonder what the job security is like.

Negligible. You'd be a fool to apply. Let alone accept.

Re: NASA Force

#237

Post by robotresearcher » Fri, Apr 17, 2026, 11:35 PM UTC

"NASAFORCE technologists inside the systems that power American spaceflight, aeronautics, and scientific discovery."

First hire should a verb.

Re: NASA Force

#238

Post by kQq9oHeAz6wLLS » Fri, Apr 17, 2026, 11:36 PM UTC

krapp wrote: post #210

scrumper wrote: post #11

Two things: - I like the rolling Moon animation very much. - This seems like a clever way of getting talent involved during a budget squeeze, presumably with the hope that some of those they attract will still be around after this congress and the agency can stabilize once again. I guess it's also a neat kind of try-before-you-buy for both sides. NASA is prestigious and one of the very few places one could do purely…

>EDIT: Good Lord, I get the cynicism but at least someone at NASA HR is trying new things to keep the lights on. Why bother? Americans clearly don't believe in science anymore, and the American government can't be trusted to fund it properly, or to not rewrite or defund research because of wrongthink or "DEI." If I were working for NASA, or even a possible candidate for working for NASA, I'd get my passport in order…

> (oops I did a cynicism.)

That's not cynicism, that's... something else.

Re: NASA Force

#239

Post by yalogin » Fri, Apr 17, 2026, 11:37 PM UTC

I am confused or misinformed. I thought the administration has severely gutted nasa, did it not? Yet they are doubling down on the brand?

Re: NASA Force

#240

Post by robotresearcher » Fri, Apr 17, 2026, 11:41 PM UTC

porridgeraisin wrote: post #73

jvanderbot wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No

What kind of research happens outside academia-attached labs like JPL and outside MIC firms like lockheed/boeing?

Ingenuity (Mars helicopter) had researchers at Ames and Langley Research Centers, for example. Super cool IMHO.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingenuity_(helicopter)