As reported both by the Wall Street Journal’s Andy Pasztor in, NASA Chief Bolden Seeks ‘Plan B’ for the Space Agency and in Space News in, Johnson Space Center Prepares Plan B with Boldens Permission, there seems to be some recognition by NASA’s Administrator that the plans announced on February 1st to cancel Constellation and turn our human space flight program over to companies, some of whom can’t seem to get rocket building down very well.
Or is there…
According to the Space News article linked above, Johnsson Space Center Director Mike Coats wrote a memo that in part stated the following:
“Steve Robert and I talked to Charlie and he agreed to let us set up a “Plan B” team (my term, since Chairman Gordon asked Charlie about his “plan B” at the hearing) to look at what a potential compromise might look like.”
Yet, according to the Space News article,
“Bolden, however, said March 4 that he did not request NASA human spaceflight officials to come up with an alternative to Obama’s plan.”
First, we doubt very much that Johnson Space Center Director Mike Coats’ went rogue in writing the memo discussed in the Space News article, Johnson Space Center Prepares Plan B with Boldens Permission. So why the double-speak from the NASA Administrator?
Really, all of this begs the bigger question; who is running NASA?
- A) Charlie Bolden
B) John Holdren
C) Lori Garver
D) All of the above
E) Nobody knows
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden is expected to discuss changes to U.S. President Barack Obama’s plan to scrap the agency’s Constellation program with at least one top lawmaker this week, according to an internal agency e-mail shared with Space News.