The Mike Griffin Fan Club

December 24, 2008

This may be an esoteric issue for most people, but for those who follow the space program, or who even care about it, the person who serves as the administrator of NASA holds a very important job.

Dan Goldin, a former TRW vice president who snagged the post in April 1992 and kept it until November 2001 -- longer than anyone else -- once told me he wanted the job because there was only ONE administrator of NASA. “There are lots of aerospace executives,” he said.

Now Mr. Goldin’s ego was a bit of an issue during his tenure, but he was passionate about space -- some would say a bit overly emotional. Until recently, no one ever used that term to describe Mike Griffin, NASA’s current chief.

Griffin is an articulate, circumspect leader who likes to sit in on the tech-talk and offer his assessments as an engineer, scientist and businessman. He is tempered in speech, so when he uses a word like “jihad” in an email, you can be assured it is no accident.

Politically, he is a rare bird whom I believe will stick to his beliefs even if it costs him his cool government job. (Not that anyone’s asked him to, at least not yet.)

Griffin has been very explicit that he would not be interested in remaining in charge if the Obama administration decides to redirect the U.S. civilian manned space program away from its current course, namely completing the space station, retiring the shuttles and developing the new spaceship that can return U.S. astronauts to the moon.

There’s not much disagreement about the first two items on the to-do list, but the last one has become a bone of contention.

There’s been a bit of what passes for “news” lately, which used to be called “gossip,” that Griffin has been reluctant to share the NASA family jewels with a woman named Lori Garver, who is serving as point person for the Obama transition team on space issues.

Garver isn’t an engineer, not that there’s anything wrong with that. She’s best known for competing against N’Sync singer Lance Bass for a sponsored seat as a space tourist on a Russian Soyuz visit to the space station. The blonde boy-band star had better backing than Lori “Soccer Mom in Space” Garver, though in the end, neither ended up flying. She makes her living as a consultant on space issues, technology and business. She is 47 years old. I have no idea whom she personally or professionally prefers be the head of NASA.

Griffin’s backers include Neil Armstrong, whom I’m told has emailed several people at NASA informing them that he intends to write a letter to the Wall Street Journal advocating Obama retain Griffin. (Personally, I’m not sure why you’d tell people you were going to do something instead of just going ahead and doing it and let the deed speak for itself, but that’s another issue.)

A more grass-roots effort was launched today by Scott Horowitz, a former space shuttle commander whose last job with NASA was as the associate administrator for the agency’s new exploration initiative, which includes the development of the controversial shuttle-derived Ares rockets, along with Apollo-style capsules called Orion. Horowitz has started an internet-based “Keep Mike” petition drive. When I checked it a minute ago, eight people had signed up.

David Mould, Griffin’s top spokesman, said he hadn’t heard of the drive and that there had been no invites from Team Obama as of yet.

“(Griffin) has said recently he’d be both honored to serve and willing to talk,” Mould added.

So, Merry Christmas, Mike. Be careful what you wish for.

Comments

[x]

The issue is a hard economy vs a soft economy. Guys like that don't do well in soft economies.

[John]

I have served at NASA for over 20 years - in all three human programs, in ops development and project managemnt roles. In that time I have seen a wide selection of executives at the center and HQ level. For the most part, they were a sorry lot.

I was invigorated by Mike Griffin. As part of the SSP post Columbia team I admired his ability to see through the confusing morass of debris assessment. I will never forget the way Mike would sit in the back of the room and listen - and then (hours later) ask a few questions or sum of the most sigificant data in a few minutes. Time and time again, half the senior people would be lost, and Mike would summarize things with precision. He usually had a clearer understanding of the work then the manager presenting it. He resonated with the analysts because of that. I also appreciate having been allowed (as a non SESr) to argue with him publicly without recrimination. My impression is that as long as you are sticking to data and facts he is more than willing to argue and be pursuaded. I have also seen SESrs at HQ play political BS games with him - and they got short shrift - to my delight.

I am excited at the purposeful manner in which we approached the CxP Architecture Study. We had not study and no plan for exploration before MG came on the seen. With the development of the ESAS, that changed. And we have been refining that work since. This change has been HUGE. We have a plan and a direction - and it is based on sound assessment.

Where do we go from there? We have some issues to overcome in executing and evolving that plan. "Strong project syndrome" has allowed the projects to run the CxP and cause much delay and bad decision making. That, more than anything else, has hampered the CxP.

Also, we need strong leadership by people who understand DDTE. You cant take people out of the cockpit or MCC and turn them into program managers overnight. They need time, education, and experience. Some of our leaders are out of thier depth and it shows.

On balance I think MG is the best administrator that I have seen in my time at NASA. I hope he stays.

The vitriol of the NASA Watch site amazes me. It seems to be the forum of HQ beaurocrats and policy wonks vs people who do real work in the field. NW is like reading he gossip collumn at HQ. Problem is most of the work is not done at HQ (an understatment) so NW pieces have a blurred persepective at the best of times.

So I hope Mike stays - but I would like to see stronger program leadership in the CxP - with less direct lines to HQ from level III. And I woudl like to see more experience in leadership - DDTE experience. Change here will be essential to making this program successful.

[Jeff Findley]

Mike Griffin needs to go. Ares I is a kluge with zero growth potential and Ares V will require gutting and rebuilding of much of the Saturn/Shuttle ground infrastructure. Design of launch vehicles by upper management isn't sound engineering.

[Rick Boozer]

Many people disagree with Mr. Horowitz's assertions:
http://www.spacepolitics.com/2008/12/24/does-mike-griffin-need-a-fan-club/

[siseshoe bob]

this is sad. begging to stay on. where is that fork?

[Irene Klotz]

Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with asking to keep a job. I just think it'd be cool for Griffin to be upfront about it, which he has been, at least in interviews with journalists and in public forums. Ultimately, of course, who will be in charge of NASA will say more about Barack Obama than the person he selects.

[anonymous]

There is a concise, professional, and hard-hitting counter-petition available here:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/RemoveMikeGriffinNow/

It provides a decent history of Griffin’s lack of performance versus the goals set out in the VSE, Ares I technical issues, and Griffin’s multiple embarrassing statements.

Without access to Rebecca Griffin’s rolodex, I don’t anticipate that this counter-petition will exceed Horowitz’s. But anyone who agrees should sign the petition, even if they have to do so anonymously (and they should keep their comments civil). It’s important that the voices opposing NASA’s current human space flight path are heard, too.

[Irene Klotz]

Thanks for the balance, anonymous

[Jim Hillhouse]

I don't understand the vitriol against Mike Griffin by those at NasaWatch and SpacePolitics. The engineers, pad rats, workers and others I had the pleasure of meeting during the last year have been nearly universal in their support for Mike Griffin. So I can't say whether the acidulous views of those supposed "insiders" who post on the likes of NW and SP are just the few, the angry, the ranting at NASA that do not approve of Griffin.

Mike Grffin is a breath of fresh air. Is is both honest and knswledgable, and has forgotten more than Keith or Jeff, along with their posters and commenters, cumulatively know about Space systems. They should reflect on that occasionally and give Mike Griffin a bit of credit and trust.

[Mad Marv]

It seems that some just want to smear Mike. Nasawatch is a major turn off.

[Steve H]

The anti-Griffin petition was clearly written by someone outside the space industry. All of the allegations are either patently false, or have been proper and successful responses to changing conditions. The vitriol is childish and shameful.

[Kris Ringwood]

Funny you should mention Horowitz...guess who now works for ATK...the SRB manufacturer...who devised (complete!) the current Constellation/Orion/ARES configuration almost exactly as it is today(excluding RS-68/J-2X for SSME) back in 2004...check out www.Astronautix.com for precise details...remarkable coincidence, I think you'll agree...

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