Pushback on Gration?

Wednesday came and went without a formal announcement of whether former Air Force Major General Jonathan Scott Gration would be the next NASA administrator (despite one publication jumping the gun). It’s also not at all clear how certain the selection of Gration is: while initial reports indicated that Gration was all but a lock to […]

Jobs and stimuli

In perhaps his last meeting with reporters, NASA administrator Mike Griffin warned yesterday that the agency could be forced to lay off contractors if the existing continuing resolution is extended, the Houston Chronicle reports. Griffin didn’t say how many positions would be at risk, but did say they would primarily come from Constellation, which would […]

An outside pick for NASA administrator?

Both NASA Watch and Space News are reporting this evening that a new and relatively unknown (in the space community) choice for NASA administrator has emerged: retired Air Force major general J. Scott Gration. (The Space News report is more certain, saying that Gration has been asked to take the job, and could be formally […]

Griffin, Constellation, and more

In yesterday’s issue of The Space Review, I write a more detailed article about Mike Griffin’s speech last week where he defended Constellation against the various alternatives proposed to replace it. A couple of items in the report that I didn’t mention in my previous post on the topic:

Grififn said he would not necessarily […]

Brief updates

While the House Science and Technology Committee has not released its membership for the new Congress yet, freshman member Parker Griffith (D-AL) says he’s won a spot on the committee. Griffith won the seat vacated by Bud Cramer, who retired; Griffith’s district includes Huntsville and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. Who isn’t the Obama […]

A new name in the NASA administrator hunt

Space News reports that a new name has emerged in the NASA administrator sweepstakes: Earth scientist Charles Kennel. Kennel is Distinguished Professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where he also served a term as the institute’s director. He is also chair of the Space Studies Board of the National Academies. He is not a […]

Griffin’s latest defense of Constellation

NASA administrator Mike Griffin was the speaker at a Space Transportation Association breakfast on Capitol Hill this morning. (The speech is now available online.) I’ll provide some more details later, but some highlights:

This was not really a valedictory or farewell speech by Griffin. Instead, it was a lengthy (about 40 minutes) address focused almost […]

Keep him! Fire him! And points in between

The news that Mike Griffin’s tenure as NASA administrator may be coming to an end has triggered various reactions in the editorial and op-ed pages:

“It’s high time for him to go,” argues the Orlando Sentinel in an editorial Thursday. The paper claims that Griffin’s implementation of Constellation has been “my-way-or-the-highway”, defending the Ares 1 […]

Griffin out, Bolden in? Maybe.

The Orlando Sentinel reported this afternoon that NASA administrator Mike Griffin is planning on leaving office on January 20, on the assumption that his resignation will be accepted by the new Obama Administration when it takes office that day, along with other Bush Administration political appointees. How serious is he planning his departure? He “has […]

“This story is very strange”

No, it’s not a reference to the Joseph Farah editorial (although it fits), but instead last week’s odd Bloomberg article about alleged NASA-DoD cooperation in the Obama administration. As earlier noted here, the story gets some key issues confused. Now Rand Simberg thoroughly debunks it in a Pajamas Media piece, saving the coup de grace […]