News: Costly astronauts wield too much clout - James Oberg

Costly astronauts wield too much clout

Thu Jul 31, 6:26 AM ET Add Op/Ed - USA TODAY to My Yahoo!


By James Oberg

A recent NASA (news - web sites) inspector general's report criticized
the inefficient use of highly trained astronauts. It confirmed the
view of many space workers that there are too many perhaps twice as
many astronauts than are really needed, costing the program too much
money. The IG report, in fact, pointed out that astronauts are used to
perform tasks that ordinary engineers could do at far lower cost.

But this excess of astronauts and what they do with their non-flying
time costs the space program far more than money. Their influence
throughout the agency contributes to a NASA culture that is
artificially enthusiastic, overconfident, contemptuous of outside
advice and excessively obedient to short-term goals (as defined by the
pilots) often at the price of sound engineering.




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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...today/11460675

Costly astronauts wield too much clout

Thu Jul 31, 6:26 AM ET Add Op/Ed - USA TODAY to My Yahoo!


By James Oberg

A recent NASA (news - web sites) inspector general's report criticized
the inefficient use of highly trained astronauts. It confirmed the
view of many space workers that there are too many perhaps twice as
many astronauts than are really needed, costing the program too much
money.


It looks like NASA has a lot of half-astronauts. ;-)


-Rusty Barton - Antelope, California

"Rusty B" wrote in message
om...

A recent NASA (news - web sites) inspector general's report criticized
the inefficient use of highly trained astronauts. It confirmed the
view of many space workers that there are too many perhaps twice as
many astronauts than are really needed, costing the program too much
money. The IG report, in fact, pointed out that astronauts are used to
perform tasks that ordinary engineers could do at far lower cost.

costly government employees?!?

--
Terrell Miller


"I think the significant thing is that whatever prodecure we use, we are not
prepared to handle what I would call a fluid bowel movement. That is where
we were very...lucky. I was deathly afraid of that."
-Wally Schirra, Apollo 7 mission debrief