It’s always a pleasure to hear from Elifritz.

Ugh…

Amen.

So you both think thathope and prayer will solve your launch vehicle and human space flight problems. Good luck with that, retards. It’s no wonder you’ve got problems.

To the point, Griffin was reporting to the WH. If the former WH was not competent enough, or did not care enough, then it is the WH fault. There are so many ways it could have come up… But it still does not matter, the ultimate responsible party for NASA’s policy enforcement is the WH. So maybe Griffin was at fault but the “CEO” was MORE responsible. Accountability and responsibility were keys to the current WH tenant’s campaign. We’ll see.

Not necessarily. For example, Griffin pursued a strategy that was arguably the antithesis of the policy direction provided in the VSE. And Griffin failed to achieve (or set the agency on a path to achieve) any of the VSE’s goals.

“I want and hope to see sophisticated thinking actually leading this agency.”

Amen.

FWIW…

Fair enough.

“Your whole post is just extraordinarily arrogant and presumptuous.”

On the contrary, I admitted that I don’t know Bolden well enough to assume what direction he would take as NASA Administrator. Instead of arrogantly presuming anything, I laid out some potential options based on Bolden’s career history and past associations. If you don’t like some aspects of Bolden’s career history and past associations, blame him, not me.

“You seem to be obsessed with multiple personality syndrome.”

No, I just don’t know Bolden well enough to say with much certainty what direction he would take NASA in.

“Did you catch the part of his bio where he flew four shuttle missions two of which he commanded?

Membership in the NASA astronaut corps is not (and should not) be a requirement for NASA Administrator. And although there’s always exceptions, some would argue (myself included) that astronauts rarely make good senior managers or development program managers.

“Or how about the part where he commanded the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.”

Yes, see my reference to Bolden’s military career in my post above.

“He has a masters degree in systems management and was involve with the day to day management operations at NASA.”

Bolden was moved into that position at Abbey’s direction. It’s unclear how much actual operations responsibility he had vice being Abbey’s 9th floor eyes and ears.

And, although flying out Shuttle is an operations challenge, the agency arguably has larger problems with the development and strategic direction of its human space flight programs post-Shuttle.

“I am not a big fan of George Abbey either, but please try to remember that Bolden will be executing the policy set forth by the Obama White House and not George Abbey.”

Were he appointed, I would certainly hope that Bolden would be his own man, but Abbey’s hold on the astronaut corps during his tenure was substantial and very detrimental to the agency.

Moreover, my reservations about Bolden go well beyond Abbey, including ATK lobbying and indebtedness to Sen. Nelson. That said, Bolden was also O’Keefe’s pick for deputy and has an impressive military service career. Like I said in my first post, on that basis, I was on the fence regarding Bolden.

But as I said in my other post, Bolden will be very indebted to Sen. Nelson for his nomination. And the NASA Administrator’s suite should not be an extension of the Florida Senator’s office. In the end, I think that makes me negative on Bolden as a potential nominee. NASA is a federal agency and should serve national interests — not the parochial interests of any particular state.

FWIW…

On the couple of occasions that I’ve been in the room with him, Bolden did not strike me as the brightest bulb in the room. But I wouldn’t necessarily judge someone on such a limited basis (and such hearsay isn’t worth much anyway).

I am just shaking head right now trying to decide what to say to this load of nonsense. If first impression don’t mean much to you why did you bother writing this? Your whole post is just extraordinarily arrogant and presumptuous. You seem to be obsessed with multiple personality syndrome. Did you catch the part of his bio where he flew four shuttle missions two of which he commanded? Or how about the part where he commanded the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. He has a masters degree in systems management and was involve with the day to day management operations at NASA. I am not a big fan of George Abbey either, but please try to remember that Bolden will be executing the policy set forth by the Obama White House and not George Abbey.

Also change for the sake of change is mindless. So you get a panel to evaluate the said possible change. The Augustine panel seems to show that someone realized the trouble NASA actually is in, “a sense of drift”. Let’s hope that the said person does not lose sight of the importance of a vibrant dynamic NASA for this country because of other ongoing more pressing problems.

If they want to take 6 more months but do it right, I am all for it. VSE was a good thing in essence, O’Keefe’s approach seemed a reasonable one. O’Keefe was not an astronaut, not even an engineer but he seemed to either think straight or to listen to those who actually knew. No, I don’t know O’Keefe, just in case…

I want and hope to see sophisticated thinking actually leading this agency.

Natch… I meant to add that Holdren also has a PhD from Stanford in aero/astro engineering and plasma physics.

And back to Bolden — another important consideration that I left out is how beholden Bolden will be to Sen. Nelson, which probably tips Bolden into the negative category for me. I’d rather the NASA Administrator’s suite not be an extension of a Florida Senator’s office. The office should serve the nation, not a state.

FWIW…

Whatever one’s opinions may be about Holdren’s positions in other areas, I would _not_ underestimate his comprehension of, or interest in, the issues facing NASA. Holdren has a BS and MS from MIT in aeronautical and astronautical engineering, and he’s obviously been personally involved in the search for a NASA Administrator. Moreover, OSTP’s rapid movement in getting the Augustine review kicked off indicates that Holdren quickly grasped the desperate situation on Constellation and its implications, in combination with Shuttle retirement, for ISS, future NASA human space flight programs, and NASA’s other programs.

“John needs on his staff some uber-experienced NASA or ex-NASA folks who are still reformers at heart and will be able to recognize when games are being played and needed Agency reforms being circumvented; people who will know what questions to ask so the White House doesn’t end up in 4 years with the same exact Agency they’ve got now.”

Agreed, and Holdren does not have such staff currently.

FWIW…

And don’t underestimate Charlie – he is really sharp. But his persona of “just an old softie” can cause you to not treat him seriously. For instance he does tend to cry in public when he talks about things that he feels strongly about. It is a bit disconcerting to see a Marine general officer, a Shuttle commander, and guy with the resume of Charlie Bolden – and see him shed what seems like a very sincere tear.