From: rsherme@diamond.nswc.navy.mil (Russel Shermer (R43))
Newsgroups: sci.research
Subject: fyi #147: Goldin Talks to Advisory Committee About Changes Within NASA
Keywords: science, research, funding, legislation, NASA.
Date: 13 Nov 92 20:32:07 GMT
Reply-To: rsherme@chaos.nswc.navy.mil
Organization: NAVSWC DD White Oak Det. R43

Posted for:
Public Information Division
American Institute of Physics
Contact:  Audrey T. Leath
Phone: (202) 332-9662




Goldin Talks to Advisory Committee About Changes Within NASA

FYI No. 147, November 12, 1992

"My job is not to be loved-- my job is to cause everyone to think
about getting to their discomfort zones, and I intend to do just
that.  I'll be the little piece of sand in the oyster."
      -- NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin

On November 5, NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin spoke to NASA's
Space Science and Applications Advisory Committee (SSAAC) about his
view of the agency, and recent changes he has made to its
organizational structure.  Below are selected quotes that
illustrate Goldin's views on the purpose of NASA, the importance of
science and technology development, and the fate of programs within
Code S (Space Science and Applications.)  At the time Goldin spoke,
NASA had not yet resolved the fate of its Life Sciences and
Microgravity programs.

"So now the Cold War is over, we've had this momentum going for
years, and the question is why does the space program exist?  What
is our purpose?...  The sense I got out of it, in talking to a
number of people, is we exist for four basic reasons:  Most human
beings need inspiration in their life, and they need to understand
a lot of things about their environment...  Exploration is innate
in human nature, and I believe the highest principle reason for
NASA existing is to explore the solar system, to explore the
universe, to explore the unknown, and help us have intellectual
nourishment.

"The second reason is, we have finite resources on this planet, and
if we're ever to think forward... we have to look to where new
opportunity exists, so there's a hope for our society.  [The third
reason] is that, by being on the cutting edge of technology, NASA
has spurred a tremendous amount of economic opportunity; created
new industries and jobs.

"Finally,... we have worked closely to build ties with other
countries...  So there's a real opportunity, in a world that's
terribly unstable, if we could accelerate the possibilities of
international opportunities in space, to bind people together.  The
corollary to that is, as the defense budget is coming down, there's
a devastation occurring to the tech base of this country...  We may
be the final resting ground for critical technologies that the
nation may need ten to twenty years from now.

"The first "A" in NASA is aeronautics...  Over the past twenty
years, America, and NASA, has watched deterioration of our
aeronautics business...  It became absolutely clear to me that we
could not go on the way we were going, and that we had to bring
aeronautics up to the level of reporting to the Administrator.
[Goldin created a separate Office of Aeronautics.]

"We have got to get our technology connected to our programs...  We
have this terrible problem where our programs are so big, and so
stretched out, and so long, that we're using ten-year-old
technology because we're afraid the program won't be successful.
. .   People say we've got to spend more money on technology, and
that would be just fine, but we spend money on technology and if it
doesn't get used, of what purpose is it?

"Now we come to Code S:  Code S is a wonderful organization,... but
the fact of the matter is, it's very big, and there wasn't enough
visibility for what I consider to be one of the most important
things that NASA's going to do in the next ten to twenty years, and
that's Mission to Planet Earth.  Mission to Planet Earth is so
important, it must be visible to the American public...  It had to
be pulled out.

"That leaves astrophysics, planetary, and space physics, which...
look outward from Planet Earth.  They are very, very important, and
in fact, I think have a major role in Mission to Planet Earth
because you can do comparative planetary analysis...  But I want to
say they also exist for inspiration, which is absolutely essential
to the future of a robust society.

"Let me tell you:  it's a very cruel world out there.  We just
can't keep the system we had...  And I'm concerned that we haven't
had enough new activity on the cutting edge...  We had a functional
organization before, a science organization at NASA, and everyone
drew their wagons around the science organization...  We have to
reach out to the aeronautics organization, and we can't just circle
the wagons around Code S.

"NASA had no home for science in the front office, so I feel very
strongly that we ought to take the best scientist in the country
[Goldin is referring to Lennard Fisk, formerly Associate
Administrator for Space Science and Applications, and NASA Chief
Scientist after the reorganization] and ask that scientist to help
focus us on what our real mission is: science and exploration, not
building infrastructure and jobs.

"Let me tell you:  Bunker mentality is a temporary survival mode.
In the end, I'm not sure that it would have saved the science
program.  Just look at what happened to the planetary program...
Our planetary program has been reduced to one huge spacecraft--
that's our planetary program.  I submit that the planetary program
was in jeopardy, and you could have kept Code S, and you could have
lost the one planetary program you had.  And you could have lost
our one major astrophysics program.  I submit, I didn't see that
that was going to be a guarantee of success.

"The object is to build the proportion of the NASA budget we spend
on science and exploration to meet inspiration and hope,
opportunity and peace.  That's our objective.  The objective is not
to maintain the status quo of Code S, with the SSAAC wrapped around
it.

"I think the message that we got from the Congress is loud and
clear:  You have an open book quiz.  Perform for the next year or
two.  We'll let you get started thinking about other things, but
why don't you skin the bear before you bring another bear into the
tent.

"The money is not going to come from Congress...  Our new
President-elect has some enormous problems ahead of him that have
to be solved.  So we in NASA have to look inward to find the
solution, so we don't put more stress on the new President.

"We build rockets, we build launch pads, we build space stations,
for what?  For science."


###############
Public Information Division
American Institute of Physics
Contact:  Audrey T. Leath
(202) 332-9662
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