NASA Plays the Greatest Hits at Its Peril

A recent report published by the National Academies concludes that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is at a crossroads. The committee behind the report ominously claims: “Today, NASA faces a new challenge: a challenge to avoid a hollow future NASA.” The report goes on to explain how today’s NASA “must contend with those threats common to large, mature, and successful organizations, including burgeoning bureaucracy, excessive centralization, and in NASA’s case, extreme funding uncertainty.”

Unfortunately, while the report is moderately successful in identifying the ways NASA has failed in recent years to accomplish its largest, most challenging goals, most notably human exploration of deep space, the solutions offered would do little to address them. In fact, most of the recommendations provided would do the opposite.

RW

About the Author

Ryan Whitley

Ryan Whitley, former senior adviser to the NASA administrator and former director of civil space policy for the National Space Council, has more than 25 years of experience leading human spaceflight activities.

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A recent report published by the National Academies concludes that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is at a crossroads. The committee behind the report ominously claims: “Today, NASA faces a new challenge: a challenge to avoid a hollow future NASA.” The report goes on to explain how today’s NASA “must contend with those threats common to large, mature, and successful organizations, including burgeoning bureaucracy, excessive centralization, and in NASA’s case, extreme funding uncertainty.”

Unfortunately, while the report is moderately successful in identifying the ways NASA has failed in recent years to accomplish its largest, most challenging goals, most notably human exploration of deep space, the solutions offered would do little to address them. In fact, most of the recommendations provided would do the opposite.

RW

About the Author

Ryan Whitley

Ryan Whitley, former senior adviser to the NASA administrator and former director of civil space policy for the National Space Council, has more than 25 years of experience leading human spaceflight activities.