U.S. public space efforts out of whack

William Atkins
Sunday, 06 March 2011 00:41

Opinion and Analysis

The U.S. government doesn't seem to understand that successful space policy involves keeping talented employees working. The private space industry understands it. A good case in point is Garrett Reisman.

OPINION: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced Friday, March 4, 2011, that U.S. astronaut Garrett Reisman is leaving NASA for employment in the private sector.

With the space shuttle program on its last leg (literally) before retirement later this year, there are fewer opportunities for its astronauts. Many astronauts over the past several years have seen the 'big picture' and have tendered their resignations. They are off to bigger and better positions.

This exodus was recorded by iTWire article 'Astronauts leave NASA in wake of shuttle retirement.'

The article stated that as of January 6, 2011, four U.S. astronauts had retired over the past four months.

The iTWire article states, 'Unfortunately, because the U.S. Congress and the White House have cancelled the Constellation program, there is a much reduced need for astronauts over the next five or more years. Consequently, many are leaving for other opportunities outside of NASA.'

'And, many others will, no doubt, leave in the future because Congress and the White House have left such a wide gap between the retiring space shuttle program and the start of the next manned program, which doesn't even have a formal name.'

Astronauts leaving NASA are not isolated occurrences. Contractor companies for NASA, such as United Space Alliance (USA), are terminating employment left and right as the space shuttle program is retired, and nothing is in place to replace it, at least not in the near term.

In the Houston section of USA, where the contractor-company delivers operational mission support to the shuttle flights via NASA's Johnson Space Center, whole departments that were once hundreds of people are now down to a very few. NASA no longer needs these employees.

But, it's not NASA's fault.

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