# Fuck off NASA guy! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 11, 2008, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-off-nasa-guy/476772 "2008-12-11T21:31:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-off-nasa-guy/476772/1 "2008-12-11T21:31:40Z")
[NASA has become a transition problem for Obama](http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_space_thewritestuff/2008/12/nasa-has-become.html) > [@](#): > > CAPE CANAVERAL – NASA administrator Mike Griffin is not cooperating with President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team, is obstructing its efforts to get information and has told its leader that she is “not qualified” to judge his rocket program, the Orlando Sentinel has learned. > > In a heated 40-minute conversation last week with Lori Garver, a former NASA associate administrator who heads the space transition team, a red-faced Griffin demanded to speak directly to Obama, according to witnesses. > > In addition, Griffin is scripting NASA employees and civilian contractors on what they can tell the transition team and has warned aerospace executives not to criticize the agency’s moon program, sources said. > > Griffin’s resistance is part of a no-holds-barred effort to preserve the Constellation program, the delayed and over-budget moon rocket that is his signature project. > > …[much more info at the link] Who the hell does he think he is? He works for the taxpayers. If there’s nothing to hide, he should be forthcoming with every speck of information so that the transition people can give accurate reports to Obama. If his project is worthwhile and worth saving, Obama needs to know what he can do to help it along. If it’s a money sink with little hope of success Obama needs to know that too. Obama’s all about getting every bit of information he can get, hearing all sides of a situation and then making a decision. This dick’s shadowy bullshit needs to stop. This really made me mad: > [@](#): > > According to industry officials, Griffin started calling heads of companies working for NASA, demanding that they either tell the Obama team that they support Constellation or refrain from talking about alternatives. > > The companies, worried that Griffin may remain and somehow punish them if they ignore his wishes, have by and large complied. > > One consultant said that when Garver invited “several” mid-level aerospace executives to speak to the team, their bosses told them not to go and warned that anything said had to be cleared first with NASA because Griffin had demanded it. People are scared to talk to the transition team for fear there will be reprisals if Griffin is kept on? Fuck that! Obama should hold a news conference, fire Griffin’s ass in that oh so polite way Obama has, and let it be known that on January 21, NASA will be under new management. That should free up people’s tongues so the team can get accurate info. What a dick. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-off-nasa-guy/476772/2 "2008-12-11T21:44:51Z")
Agreed, this guy obviously has no business being in that position. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-off-nasa-guy/476772/3 "2008-12-11T21:45:35Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > People are scared to talk to the transition team for fear there will be reprisals if Griffin is kept on? Fuck that! Obama should hold a news conference, fire Griffin’s ass in that oh so polite way Obama has, and let it be known that on January 21, NASA will be under new management. That should free up people’s tongues so the team can get accurate info. That should be right at the top of Obama’s agenda. Before he even gets off the stand. Oath, turn to aide, sign paper firing Griffin’s ass, go make speech. Then chop off all of Griffin’s contacts. Bar him from entering any governmental facility of any type. Have the FBI clean out his desk, toss the box to the curb, and refuse to talk about it. If Griffin yelps, let it oh so discreetly be known that any company that hires him will see its government contracts minutely examined. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-off-nasa-guy/476772/4 "2008-12-11T21:48:29Z")
[the official bio on Griffin](http://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/griffin_bio.html) I wonder what kind of pork barrel bullshit he’s hiding. He was hired by President “Nevermind the war, let’s go to Mars! Right now!” Bush. ---
**Author:** ![Ro\_Carter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7feea3/32.png) [@Ro\_Carter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ro_Carter)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-off-nasa-guy/476772/5 "2008-12-11T21:48:45Z")
That idiot should know that this “effort” of his is NOT HELPING. I love NASA to death, but making both yourself and the agency look unhelpful (to put it mildly) will not increase the chances that your program will be kept on. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-off-nasa-guy/476772/6 "2008-12-11T21:53:55Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > That should be right at the top of Obama’s agenda. Before he even gets off the stand. Oath, turn to aide, sign paper firing Griffin’s ass, go make speech. Then chop off all of Griffin’s contacts. Bar him from entering any governmental facility of any type. Have the FBI clean out his desk, toss the box to the curb, and refuse to talk about it. If Griffin yelps,\*\* let it oh so discreetly be known that any company that hires him will see its government contracts minutely examined\*\*. Can we please hope that the President Elect is better than this? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-off-nasa-guy/476772/7 "2008-12-11T22:00:12Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > That should be right at the top of Obama’s agenda. Before he even gets off the stand. Oath, turn to aide, sign paper firing Griffin’s ass, go make speech. The visual of this had me laughing a lot! ---
**Author:** ![jeevmon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@jeevmon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jeevmon)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-off-nasa-guy/476772/8 "2008-12-11T22:14:51Z")
> [@Darth\_Sensitive](#): > > Can we please hope that the President Elect is better than this? He is. That’s why he has a Chief of Staff. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-off-nasa-guy/476772/9 "2008-12-11T22:30:11Z")
[Nixon’s people railroaded NASA into building the space shuttle and had them promise more than they _knew_ it could deliver.](http://www.spacedaily.com/news/shuttle-03p1.html) Whilst I support the idea of us going back to the Moon and Mars, I’ve long suspected that the money being allocated the program was **not** nearly enough. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-off-nasa-guy/476772/10 "2008-12-11T22:40:37Z")
This guy should be escorted out of the building by armed guards, carrying his belongings in a box, into the street where he is met by photographers. And then the audits can begin! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-off-nasa-guy/476772/11 "2008-12-11T23:23:35Z")
It’s a blog by a single source. It may be hwaaay exagerated: [http://www.federaltimes.com/federal-times-blog/2008/12/11/tracking-the-transition-nasa-not-cooperating/](http://www.federaltimes.com/federal-times-blog/2008/12/11/tracking-the-transition-nasa-not-cooperating/) _A NASA spokesman denied the allegations and said that although there are concerns that Obama’s six-person transition team, led by former NASA associate administrator Lori Garver, lacks the engineering skills needed to judge some of the technical programs, the administration is working well with the transition team._ Note also that Prez-_Elect_ Obama has no authority for another month +. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-off-nasa-guy/476772/12 "2008-12-11T23:53:35Z")
> [@spooje](#): > > And then the audits can begin! And _then_, oral sex! Oh, wrong reference? Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-off-nasa-guy/476772/13 "2008-12-12T00:00:20Z")
I like the bit about how they say they’re just trying to “look under the hood” and his response is to say that this is calling him a liar, because by doing so they’re saying that they don’t trust what he SAYS is under the hood. Is this guy completely clueless about how we just got into a near-depression in the financial world and it was all because we didn’t look under the hood? In any event, someone holding such a position has no business holding such a position. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-off-nasa-guy/476772/14 "2008-12-12T00:05:54Z")
Sounds like the Obama people are getting too close to the _real_ story behind the Apollo “moon landings”. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-off-nasa-guy/476772/15 "2008-12-12T00:10:55Z")
[Here’s the Bad Astronomer on the subject.](http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/12/11/nasas-griffin-butting-heads-with-obama/) It’s hard not to be prejudiced against a Bush appointee; they’re tainted. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-off-nasa-guy/476772/16 "2008-12-13T21:05:51Z")
I find it interesting that while Griffin has issued a clear denunciation of the article, there doesn’t seem to be a similar comment from the Obama camp. There’s a rather vague comment saying that they’ve generally had good luck with the transition process _overall_, but no mention that things are either going well (or poorly) with NASA. They do state that if they have any problems, they will take them up with the White House. Admittedly, Obama’s probably pretty distracted, but given the seriousness of the accusations made in the article, one would think that there’d be _something_ specific said about the matter. Curiously, on the boards I frequent where NASA employees post, **none** of them have commented on the matter. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-off-nasa-guy/476772/17 "2008-12-13T21:29:53Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Curiously, on the boards I frequent where NASA employees post, **none** of them have commented on the matter. It’s not generally a good idea to comment on your employer in a public forum, especially if there’s a record of your comments. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-off-nasa-guy/476772/18 "2008-12-13T21:38:39Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > It’s not generally a good idea to comment on your employer in a public forum, especially if there’s a record of your comments. If you’re going to be making a _negative_ comment, yes, but they’ve had no problems defending the agency if there’s an inaccuracy in the news. Some of them have expressed less than enthusiastic comments about NASA programs. ---
**Author:** ![LilShieste](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@LilShieste](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilShieste)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-off-nasa-guy/476772/19 "2008-12-13T21:45:40Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > Sounds like the Obama people are getting too close to the _real_ story behind the Apollo “moon landings”. They better watch their backs - we all know [what happens](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Chaffee) to people like _that_. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2008, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-off-nasa-guy/476772/20 "2008-12-13T21:46:14Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > Sounds like the Obama people are getting too close to the _real_ story behind the Apollo “moon landings”. Ooh, you little mixer! 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-off-nasa-guy/476772.md?page=2)