Will Michael Griffin, who was appointed by the Bush administration to save NASA after the Columbia disaster, continue in his position even under Obama? Griffin himself is not interested in this due to the talk about extending the use of the shuttles and replacing the launchers with the Constellation project that will replace it
NASA is currently seen as someone who will be a priority for the new president, which is rare in itself. So what can NASA expect from the Obama administration? NASA Administrator Michael Griffin met with employees at the Kennedy Space Center last Thursday and was asked by the employees whether he would continue in his role under the new administration.
"If the next president asks me to continue, I would be happy to do so," said Griffin, "but I doubt it will happen. In any case, if he asks me to stay, I will demand that the White House not interfere in the direction NASA is going." It is possible that Griffin was referring to the Constellation program and the return to the moon, and would not try to enforce any employee on Griffin.
Griffin also spoke out against extending the duration of shuttle flights or using EELV rockets to carry passengers into space instead of the currently planned Ares 1 rockets.
What else should NASA expect under the new presidential administration?
Usually, NASA is not at the top of the list of priorities when a new administration enters, but this time the handling of the shutdown of the shuttles is among the 13 most urgent issues for the administration's handling. NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale wrote on her blog after the election. According to Dale, NASA has written a large file containing all the materials required for the new administration to review the project.
Those close to Obama's transition team said that it is likely that the new president will ask to re-examine Project Constellation - the system that will replace the shuttle and which is suffering from technical and financial problems that could delay the first launch planned for 2015. Some estimate that Project Constellation will be canceled and replaced by additional shuttle flights and a different design of the missiles .
Senator Bill Nelson, one of Obama's closest advisors in the field of space, wants to keep Griffin in his position and is lobbying Obama's staff to keep Griffin at this point. Congressional and industry sources cited names of potential replacements, ranging from retired astronaut Sally Reid to Lori Garber, a former NASA official who heads the Obama administration's NASA transition team.
Dr. Scott Pace, director of the Space Policy Institute, told Universe Today that putting NASA into a restructuring process may not be worthwhile. "Given the fact that NASA has reached a certain level of internal and organizational stability, I would not now like to lose a year or two on another reorganization," he said. "The new president should give NASA a set of priorities, tell them what the budget they are going to receive will be and let them move on. Even so, NASA is in a period of crossroads from the shuttle to what will come in its place. We need to stay focused in the next two years on completing the shuttle flights safely. NASA now requires concentration, not reorganization.”
For the news in Universe Today
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