The Laughing Wolf

Excuses, Reasons, and O’Keefe

Rand notes that I have not written much about space lately, and that is true. I have not written about much of substance in a while for a number of reasons, including the fact that others have covered some things much better than could I under the circumstances. Yet, the departure of O’Keefe from NASA warrants a few words, even more than those in this good summation.

I must admit, I had very high hopes when O’Keefe came to the agency. NASA was a dysfunctional mess on many levels, and the previous administrator was, in my opinion, was far more interested in creating new problems and preventing effective management than in becoming a part of the solution. Yes, he did inherit some significant problems, but he left those and many more for O’Keefe.

Now, few people disagreed that NASA needed a major overhaul. Word is that a naughty and nice list was drawn up, as was an assessment of major organizational and philosophical problems. Word had it that O’Keefe would come in to do some things outright, but that the problems would be laid out to upper management and NASA given the chance to fix things. Word has it that this was done, and that nothing did get done, management chosing to go with business as usual for the most part.

Now, as the article referenced above notes, it should not be thought that O’Keefe was doing nothing, for nothing could be further from the truth. I do not believe for a moment the rumor that NASA accounting was still using an abacus by firelight in a cave somewhere under the Lincoln Memorial. I think they at least had a flashlight. The system in place was antiquated, disorganized, and – I suspect – deliberately fractured along Center lines.

O’Keefe started the long needed, and just plain long, process of updating it to something at least semi-effective and modern. While I have no first-hand knowledge, I suspect that there was some resistance in certain quarters, as having a system with little or no accountability and documentation allows a certain degree of flexibility that would otherwise not be present. Along the same lines, I am not convinced that the upgrading and such is truly finished.

While some of the people rumored to be on the “naughty” list did indeed end up leaving NASA, it was far short of what most people expected. Nor was the much vaunted and long-running re-organization close to what rumor had put it. In short, a great deal of what needs to be done still has not been done.

As an institution, NASA remains extremely anti-commercial/commercialization. All of the large programs allegedly for such look not to what industry wants or needs, but to what NASA wants and needs. Marketplace realities do not enter into the equation for the most part, and NASA wants a lot without giving much in return. While it is an old example, NASA was given years ago the option to have a private company with significant food service experience design and build a galley for them for use in space. The company was more than happy to do what would have amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars worth of development, testing, approval, and production for free. All they wanted was to have their logo on the galley. This was not acceptable to NASA, and it was turned down.

That basic attitude, along with the idea that doing research for money and to produce real products is somehow tainted and evil, is still very strongly entrenched at NASA. While some headway is being made, the campaign still has a long way to go. If you want a war analogy, I think we are at Dunkirk, not Normandy, in terms of revamping NASA.

I have heard the excuse being given by Mr. O’Keefe for leaving. Sorry, that is not a reason, but rather an excuse. Rumors abound about the true reason(s), ranging from not getting a more plum assignment in the second administration to a realization that neither he nor anyone else can do the job. My own bit of speculation goes more towards the latter. I wonder if he is leaving because he might not be allowed to do the job.

The loss of Columbia had a profound impact on the political equation. Before, I think Congress would have gone along with even an extremely drastic reorganization of the agency. Afterwards, I think that they would not because it might be seen as a vendetta of some sort. Whatever the reason, the loss significantly changed the political equation, and I for one am not sure that a number of the changes I think are necessary can now take place. If you are not going to be allowed to finish the job, and no other better assignment is available, leaving becomes the best option.

While I disagree, strongly, with several decisions made on his watch, I can say that he has made a good start towards much needed change within the agency. Sean O’Keefe was indeed the best administrator NASA has seen in many years. Starting to fix the financial system and the extremely dysfunctional safety culture were good things. My sorrow is that the job was not finished. My hope is that whomever comes after can and will continue the job, and so that the agency becomes a help to space exploration and exploitation, rather than the hindrance it has been.

LW