NASA has become a transition problem for Obama

[DerekJ]

CAPE CANAVERAL – NASA administrator Mike Griffin is not cooperating with President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team, is obstructing its efforts to get information and has told its leader that she is “not qualified” to judge his rocket program, the Orlando Sentinel has learned.

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People close to Garver, however, say that she has confirmed “unpleasant” exchanges with Griffin and other NASA officials. “Don’t worry, they have not beaten me down yet,” she e-mailed a colleague.

And this week, Garver told a meeting of aerospace representatives in Washington that “there will be change” to NASA policy and hinted that Obama would name a new administrator soon, according to participants.


--- snip --

At the same time, he made clear he expected NASA employees to stay on message.

For example, transition-team interviews have been monitored by NASA officials “taking copious notes,” according to congressional and space-community sources. Employees who met with the team were told to tell their managers about the interview.

The tensions are due to the fact that NASA’s human space flight program is facing its biggest crossroads since the end of the Apollo era in the 1970s. The space shuttle is scheduled to be retired in 2010, and the next-generation Constellation rockets won’t fly before 2015.


LINK: http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_space_thewritestuff/2008/12/nasa-has-become.html

[babylonsister]

1. NASA not cooperating? Sounds like NASA has the problem, not Obama. nt

[DerekJ]

2. The way Griffin is acting makes me think there are disasters under the hood.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

3. Griffin is the problem. He says "trust us". He's hiding something.

[WeDidIt]

4. Griffin needs to go

If he's acting this way during the transition, yhe has no business being at NASA at all.

[Doremus]

5. A Bush appointee who wants to keep secrets? I'm shocked. Not.

The guy is unbalanced if he thinks the Obama administration would even consider keeping his ass on.

The chutzpah boggles the mind.


NASA is probably overflowing with pet projects, crony salaries and no-bid contracts. All waiting for Obama's budget scalpel. Go, Barack, go!