Keith’s note: just got this email: Mr. Cowing: I am very sorry to hear about the situation that is going on at JPL. I did want to share with you that the Naval Facilities Engineering Command has more than 100 current engineering vacancies, literally around the world. We manage the day to day construction, operation, and maintenance of the Navy’s shore establishment. The plant value of the facilities is slightly more than 1/2 trillion dollars. We have openings for most engineering disciplines. More senior positions do require registration. We have personnel in San Diego that are more than willing to speak with anyone that is potentially interested. I will be more than happy to pass along any information.
Sincerely,
Michael R. Keller, PE
Assistant Commander for Public Works (Acting)
NAVFAC HQ
202-374-0467
michael.r.keller3.civ – at – us.navy.mil

Keith’s note: According to “NASA Lab’s Workforce Woes Threaten Major Space Missions“ in Scientific American: “To many, it is a dream job. So why have some of JPL’s most vital workers jumped ship? To find out, Scientific American interviewed more than a dozen current and past employees who blame much of the brain drain on the high-stakes, high-stress atmosphere of the lab. Missions, not people, are the lab’s top priority, they say.” … “Even the harshest critics interviewed by Scientific American hold out hope for change—much of it tied to JPL’s newest director, Leshin. “It was amazing to see the amount of trust that was accorded to her right from the get-go” after her arrival a year and a half ago, says one current employee whom we will call Ava. “She was very open. She was welcoming. She was engaged. She was personable.”

Keith’s note: How is NASA going to achieve all of its forward-leaning diversity goals if the states where the bulk of its activities are conducted (Florida, Texas, Alabama) – and where their work force lives – seem to go out of their way to thwart the intent of these efforts? Large numbers of space industry workers run the risk of not being welcome there as they pursue the dream of exploring space. I have no answers. But I am pointing this issue out whenever I see it. According to “Anti-Trans Laws Force Engineer to Quit Job Helping NASA With Moon Missions“ published in Futurism, “As electrical engineer Robin Witt told The Stranger, Florida’s increasingly extreme anti-transgender laws left Witt, a transgender woman, no choice but to quit her job at a NASA-contracted engineering firm called ERC — a heartwrenching decision that, according to Witt, cost her a lifelong dream. … And though NASA might be putting diversity at the public center of its Artemis missions, it seems that the less-visible folks behind the Artemis rockets and other missions – one of whom, in this case, was forced to choose between their human rights and their dream role – are getting left behind.” More below

Keith’s note: According to NASA PAO: “Nelson named Steve Shih to serve in a new position as the agency’s first Diversity Ambassador and selected Elaine Ho as the next associate administrator for the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity at NASA Headquarters in Washington, effective immediately.” More

Meet the Women in Charge of NASA’s Science Divisions, NASA “For the first time in NASA’s history, women are in charge of three out of four science divisions at the agency. The Earth Science, Heliophysics and Planetary Science divisions now all have women at the helm. Each hails from a different country and brings unique expertise to NASA’s exploration efforts. “We have an extraordinary group of women responsible for the […]

Experts worry government shutdowns will drive NASA employees to the private sector, Houston Chronicle “But Keith Cowing, editor of NASA Watch, a website devoted to space news, suspects the duration and frequency of the shutdowns soon will plant seeds of doubt in peoples’ mind about working at the history-making space agency. “A lot of people take a salary cut to work at NASA,” Cowing said. “But when you can’t pay […]

Interior Secretary Advocates For Cutting Up To 4,000 Jobs At Agency, Huffington Post “In written testimony submitted Tuesday to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke noted that President Donald Trump’s 2018 budget request would slash funding by $1.6 billion – to $11.7 billion – and support just shy of 60,000 full-time staff, a reduction of roughly 4,000.” Comprehensive Plan for Reforming the Federal Government […]

NASA OIG: NASA’s Efforts to “Rightsize” its Workforce, Facilities, and Other Supporting Assets “Through the TCAT and CLM processes, NASA has established a framework that should improve the Agency’s ability to manage its technical capabilities and help make the difficult decisions regarding infrastructure and personnel required to optimally position itself for current and future missions. However, after more than 4 years, the Agency has yet to make many concrete decisions […]

Revenge of the bureaucrats, Politico “The Trump personnel team led by Kay Coles James and Linda Springer, both also Bush alumni, has broad goals to reduce the size of domestic agencies while slightly bolstering the defense workforce, say sources close to the transition. Aides are also mulling a process, known as “reduction in force,” that would allow the new administration to skirt the civil service’s complicated rules for hiring and […]

Best Places to Work Agency Rankings “The index score is not a combined average of an agency’s category scores. It is calculated using a proprietary weighted formula that looks at responses to three different questions in the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. The more the question predicts intent to remain, the higher the weighting.” “1 National Aeronautics and Space Administration“

Owen Glenn Morris “Owen Glenn was hired by NACA in Langley, Virginia to design and operate a supersonic wind tunnel. In 1958, NACA became NASA and Owen Glenn joined the Space Task Group, focusing on the Apollo Program. Owen Glenn was a pioneer throughout his life using his positive “can do, will do” attitude to work with others on many programs and causes bringing dreams to reality.” Owen Glenn, NASA […]

Keith’s note Thomas C. McMurtry passed away at 6:40 AM, Saturday, January 3, 2015. Funeral services will be held Saturday, January 10th at 12:30 at Father Serra Parish in Quartz Hill. Viewing will be Friday, January 9th at Halley Olsen Mortuary in Lancaster between 4-8pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Carmelite Sisters of Alhambra (http://www.carmelitesistersocd.com/gifts-in-memoriam/) or Father Serra Parish in Lancaster, CA. NASA Dryden Biographies, Former […]

James Hsiu-Kai Chi “Suddenly on Friday, December 26, 2014, James Hsiu-Kai Chi died at his home in Gaithersburg, MD.” According to a NASA employee who knew him “James, a highly respected and talented senior information technology specialist, served as a key graphic designer for the NASA family for many years.”

Samuel W. Keller “On December 14, 2014…. Memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 3, 2015” Associate Administrator for Russian Programs Appointed (1992) “NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin today announced the appointment of Samuel W. Keller as Associate Administrator for Russian Programs. The new function is being established within the Office of the Administrator and will give focus to the many programs involving NASA and the former Soviet Union.”

Lawrence W. Vogel “Lawrence W. Vogel (age 94) passed away after a brief illness on December 18, 2014. For 12 years, Col. Vogel served as Director of NASA Headquarters Administration and was proud to be a part of NASA’s very successful manned space programs highlighted in the Apollo lunar missions. After retirement from public service in 1986, Col. Vogel remained very active in West Point and NASA retiree activities.”

Federal Job Satisfaction Sinks in Latest Survey, Government Executive “Employee satisfaction and commitment declined to their lowest levels since the 2003 debut of the “Best Places to Work in the Federal Government” report in the edition released Tuesday by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service and Deloitte Consulting LLP.” Feds unhappy with leaders, new government survey finds, Washington Post “Employees at NASA, which ranks as the best large place to […]

A Question of Loyalty, Pasadena Weekly “Over the past eight months, Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer Cate Heneghan said she has been dealing with what she considers to be an abuse of authority by NASA, which has been trying to force her to sign what amounts to a loyalty oath — asking intrusive questions about her allegiance to the United States. Heneghan, who was born and raised in Bethesda, Md., studied […]

Caltech professor claims Israeli spy infiltrated JPL, Pasadena Star News “Sandra Troian alleges Caltech administrators ignored the school’s whistleblower policy and retaliated against her for the past four years because if they had documented her concern, they could have put an $8 billion contract with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory at risk and put the school in a bad light. Troian said she is frightened for her career. … … “In […]

NASA maintains lofty worker-satisfaction ratings for 2014, Washington Post “National Aeronautics and Space Administration employees remained largely satisfied with their agency this year, likely continuing the agency’s trend of ranking among the best places to work in the federal government, according to results from a recent survey. Seventy-one percent of NASA staffers who responded to the Office of Personnel Management’s federal-employee viewpoints survey gave the agency a positive mark this […]