“We’re capturing the brainpower.”Īnd he flatly rejected the idea that the agency had lost its way. “We’re trying to help our people stay in the aerospace industry, if not in NASA,” he said while denying any paralyzing loss of talent. Bolden, a retired Marine Corps general, said his workers were excited not only about the Atlantis mission but also about a range of new endeavors at both the space agency and its commercial partners. Do we have concerns about the welfare of our workers? Yes, we always do.”īut Mr.
“Do we have concerns about morale?” he asked. The shuttles did that for decades, starting in 1981. But the ventures, which involve partnerships with private-sector companies like SpaceX and Boeing, focus on hardware development and so far have no declared goals beyond low orbits around the planet.
NASA is also trying to nurture a commercial industry that will loft astronauts toward the stars. But no destination has been selected, and money is tight. Astronauts have been steadily leaving the agency.Īt the direction of the Obama administration and Congress, NASA is instead developing a large new rocket to send deep into space. Not only has the shuttle program been scrapped, but so has Constellation, which would have sent Americans back to the moon. NASA has been forced to cancel the big missions that capture public attention and attract top talent, and frustrations have bubbled to the surface within the agency. The event is scheduled for Friday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, before an estimated one million spectators.Īfter that, there is little glory to look forward to. Nobody is predicting problems for the coming flight of the Atlantis, the 135th and last launching in the shuttle program. But he conceded, “There’s added risk anytime you downsize.” After a slow start, “NASA and its industry partners did a genuinely excellent job” in planning for the shuttle’s retirement, he said. Dyer, a retired Navy vice admiral and the chairman of NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel. “The downsizing has been well managed and has achieved an acceptable level of risk,” said Joseph W.
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