O'Keefe Resigns :: Zubrin Should Apply for the Job - Wanted: New NASA Chief

Aleph-Null · 2004-12-12 11:38:16

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NASA chief to resign, seeks university post

BY GWYNETH K. SHAW

The Orlando Sentinel

WASHINGTON - (KRT) - NASA chief Sean O'Keefe is expected to resign from the agency this week.

The NASA administrator, who has been in the job for almost three years, is the top choice for chancellor's of Louisiana State University and has agreed to be a formal candidate, according to a spokesman for the school.

O'Keefe's departure would close the book on a period of tragedy and transition for the agency, marked by budget cutting, the 2003 Columbia space shuttle disaster, investigations and ambitious plans to send astronauts back to the moon and eventually to Mars.

Glenn Mahone, NASA's chief spokesman, declined to comment on the rumors surrounding O'Keefe on Saturday. But U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon said that while he had not spoken with O'Keefe, it is his understanding that the agency head does plan to leave.

Weldon, a Florida Republican whose district abuts Kennedy Space Center, said that conversations with his staff led him to believe that O'Keefe "is taking the job at LSU."

Charles Zewe, a spokesman for the Louisiana State University board of supervisors, said Saturday that interim chancellor William Jenkins and others have been actively recruiting O'Keefe for the job, which is essentially the CEO of the university.

"He seemed receptive to the idea, and we're delighted that he's receptive to the idea," Zewe said. "We think Mr. O'Keefe is a tremendous talent, inside academia and inside the government, and has done a tremendous job in all the assignments he's been given in government and in the halls of academia. We'd be delighted to have him as our chancellor."

Zewe said O'Keefe and Jenkins have spoken by phone, but could not say whether they'd met in person to discuss the job. O'Keefe, who got his bachelor's degree from Loyola University in New Orleans and has family there, was in Louisiana last week.

Louisiana State University chancellor Mark Emmert resigned in June, and Jenkins, the president of the university system, has been serving in an interim capacity since. The search committee was formed in June and has met at least four times, including last week, according to the university's Web site.

Zewe said that the committee would move quickly through the interview and selection process. He said O'Keefe told him Saturday that he'd agreed to be a formal candidate for the job late Friday night.

"He would be a very strong candidate, and that is the opinion of the system president, Dr. Jenkins, and just about anybody." Zewe said.

Before joining NASA, O'Keefe, 48, had spent less than a year as deputy director of the White House budget office. During the administration of the first President Bush, O'Keefe was comptroller and chief financial officer at the Defense Department, and served as Secretary of the Navy during the last few months of his term.

A graduate of Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, O'Keefe first came to Washington as a presidential management intern in 1978. He later served for almost a decade as a staff member for the Senate Appropriations Committee.

In between the two Bush administrations, O'Keefe was a professor at Pennsylvania State University and Syracuse.

"Dr. Jenkins has had his eye on O'Keefe for quite some time," Zewe said. "He's followed his career and thought very highly of him. It's just been a long-running kind of friendship and respect for the man's abilities."

The news of O'Keefe's decision to resign was first reported by nasawatch.com, a Web site that tracks news and information about the space program. There has been speculation in Washington for months that O'Keefe might leave to go back to the Pentagon.

When O'Keefe was confirmed by the Senate in December 2001, his chief task was putting NASA's books in order, including solving the ongoing problem of billions of dollars in cost overruns for the international space station program.

In his first 13 months, O'Keefe focused on management, with only a few new ideas - including supporting the development of an in-space nuclear propulsion system - percolating up.

But on the morning of Feb. 1, 2003, O'Keefe's job took a major turn: The loss of the space shuttle Columbia as it re-entered the Earth's atmosphere over east Texas killed seven astronauts and returned the nation's attention to the space program.

The accident grounded the remaining three orbiters and caused a scaling back of activity aboard the space station, and the ensuing investigation raised a slew of new questions about the safety of the shuttle. When the Columbia Accident Investigation Board delivered its report in August of 2003, O'Keefe vowed to fulfill all of its safety recommendations.

Doing so, however, has been a long and tricky process. The shuttle Discovery is now scheduled for launch in May or June, although that date may change.

O'Keefe also used the accident to push for a bigger and more ambitious agenda for the space program as a whole. On January 16, he got it - President Bush proposed a long-term plan to send astronauts back to the moon and, eventually, on to Mars.

The plan has gotten a lukewarm reception in Congress, but during the last-minute negotiations over a massive budget package last month, NASA - with the help of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay - got the $16.2 billion it wanted. O'Keefe later said the budget was a clear message of approval.

Weldon said O'Keefe has made the most of what has often been a difficult task.

"I think he's done well," said Weldon, who sits on the subcommittee that helps shape NASA's budget.

"That vision statement of the president's, I know Sean O'Keefe played a big role in getting that done, and that may indeed prove to be his greatest legacy, getting a formal presidential statement on where space policy should be headed."

As to O'Keefe's successor, Weldon said the resignation news caught him by surprise, so he hasn't had time to think about it. But the choice is a crucial one, he said.

For example, a new administrator might revisit O'Keefe's decision, made earlier this year, to scrap a planned shuttle mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. A National Academy of Sciences panel said last week that a shuttle mission would have a much greater chance of success than the robotic option O'Keefe favors.

"A fresh face can be a little bit more objective and isn't going to carry as much baggage," Weldon said.

He also noted that a new administrator would have to preside over crucial decisions due in the next couple of years, including what the Crew Exploration Vehicle, NASA's next-generation spacecraft, will look like and who will build it.

"The president's going to have to come up with a strong leader who can follow up on return to flight," Weldon said. "It's going to be a busy year for NASA, and whoever steps into Sean's shoes is going to find himself having to get a lot of things done quickly."

---

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Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascit … 016.htm?1c

John Creighton · 2004-12-12 13:51:38

Sure. I support Zurbin because he is inspirational. Zubrins comments with regards to the Hubble have me uneasy about Zubrin. The head of NASA should start from a factual position and not an emotional one. Hubble is not worth all the fuss Zubrin made out of it and Zubrins mars direct appears to have the margins a little tight from what I heard. Inspiration is great but I don’t know if giving the public unrealistic expectations is good or not for space exploration. If Zubrin fails and people die in mars where does this leave the space program. As for O'Keefe leaving, I think it is a tragedy. O'Keefe may not be an expert in space science by he has the right combination of pragmatism and vision. He will be missed. Whoever replaces him will have big shoes to fill. Then again maybe that is the nature of the position. NASA is full of smart people pushing the edges of science and engineering. Any person that properly utilizes those skills will do great thin. Although some didn’t like Dan Golden bigger faster cheaper, at least he start the journey of robots back to mars. The ISS may not have been a great success story but perhaps that was inertia beyond his control. The great success story of Dan’s leadership was an excellent robotic exploration program that seems to get better and better with the passing years.

BWhite · 2004-12-12 14:10:19

Even I don't drink that much Kool-Aid. I'd setttle for Pete Worden.

Ad Astra · 2004-12-12 14:24:02

NASA's administrator should be a manager first and a space entusiast second. James Webb certainly wasn't a rocket scientist, but he succeeded in getting Apollo the resources from Congress so it could make it to the moon. Perhaps we will think of Sean O'Keefe in the same way if VSE gets off the ground.

I have cooled towards the idea of astronauts as administrators ever since I understood the Dick Truly situation in 1989-1992. Truly loved his shuttle too much and didn't want anything as "silly" as going to the moon and Mars to getting in between him and his damned space albatross.

If NASA must have an astronaut as an administrator, they should go back to Buzz Aldrin or another Apollo veteran (even somebody who was a manager back then) to lead the way. Somebody who remembers how great it was to get to the moon can get us back there with gusto.

BWhite · 2004-12-12 14:29:58

Buzz Aldrin would be a good choice.

PurduesUSAFguy · 2004-12-12 15:13:02

Saving the Hubble would be a massive waste of money, people just don't get that there are ground based telescopes that have higher resolutions then the hubble now. With the James Webb Telescope going up in the near future who cares if we deorbit the hubble.

Shaun Barrett · 2004-12-12 17:00:48

I think the day-to-day bureaucracy of being NASA Administrator would take up too much of Dr. Zubrin's time. He'd be bogged down in paperwork.
It would spread his energies too thinly across a broad range of issues and reduce his effectiveness as a Mars advocate, if you ask me.
???
::Edit::
In any case, I can just imagine the uproar in the 'Robotic Exploration/Lunar Outpost' camp if Dr. Z's name were to come up as a candidate.

GraemeSkinner · 2004-12-12 23:09:48

NASA's administrator should be a manager first and a space entusiast second. James Webb certainly wasn't a rocket scientist, but he succeeded in getting Apollo the resources from Congress so it could make it to the moon. Perhaps we will think of Sean O'Keefe in the same way if VSE gets off the ground.

I agree, they should have someone who is a proven business manager first of all rather than someone with a list of personal aims to fulfill. NASA is a multibillion dollar concern, it needs an effective manager.

Graeme

Palomar · 2004-12-12 23:33:21

I think the day-to-day bureaucracy of being NASA Administrator would take up too much of Dr. Zubrin's time. He'd be bogged down in paperwork.
It would spread his energies too thinly across a broad range of issues and reduce his effectiveness as a Mars advocate, if you ask me.

*Indeed. Was thinking along those same lines myself. He's got his own company concerns (Pioneer Astronautics), etc. Besides, how much of the job involves being a puppet for *the* powerbrokers in Washington, D.C.? Sorry if I sound cynical -- maybe not as much as one might expect.

Edit::
In any case, I can just imagine the uproar...

*Does the name Jeffrey Bell ring any...aw, too obvious a pun.

--Cindy

SpaceNut · 2004-12-13 06:40:32

Here is the possible candidate line up:
White House team already weighing five candidates for NASA job

Kadish
Air Force Lt. Gen. Ronald Kadish, who directed the effort to develop a system to shield the country from a missile attack.
Walker
Former Rep. Robert Walker, (R-Pa.), member of the Presidential Commission on the Implementation of the United States Space Exploration Policy in 2004 — also known as the Aldridge Commission.
Sega
Former shuttle astronaut and academic Ron Sega, now the director of Defense Research and Engineering at the Defense department.
Bolden
Former shuttle astronaut and retired Marine Maj. Gen. Charles F. Bolden, now senior vice president of TechTrans International.
Crippen
Pilot of the first orbital test flight of the shuttle program, retired Navy Capt. Robert Crippen, also former director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

SpaceNut · 2004-12-13 09:37:33

Read what others have said in response to Nasa chief stepping down on Nasawatch.

http://www.nasawatch.com/archives/000450.html#more

Dook · 2004-12-13 10:11:20

Too many ex-military in that list. Military officers can be excellent managers but they are terrible leaders, and yes, there is a difference between a manager and a leader. Managers sit back while others do the work. They point out your mistakes and increase the regulations so you can never make that mistake again but this just increases your workload, making you hurry even more.

Good leaders have vision. They set lofty goals. They are involved with the team effort and they don't wait for someone to tell them where we should be going.

BWhite · 2004-12-13 11:04:01

Pete Worden.

C M Edwards · 2004-12-13 11:04:57

I hope O'Keefe gets the chancelorship at LSU.

I don't know if Zubrin would be a good or bad choice for NASA administrator. On the one hand, most of the better NASA administrators have had an agenda, a mandate from their supporters, or both (Faster-Better-Cheaper, straighten the books, put a man on the moon, etc.). NASA needs focus, and needs it badly. Zubrin could supply that.

On the other hand, he's Robert Zubrin! :laugh:

I'm uncertain if a loudmouthed spitfire can develop the effective cat-herding strategies necessary to make it in the upper echelons of NASA. One might do better to look for another candidate, one with the requisite focus but without a history of blanket criticisms, minor insults to former employers, etc. Zubrin's got skill and enthusiasm, and he's a true leader. I admire the man greatly. I'm also happy to see him with his own company, because he'd probably have suffered greatly from submission to the bureaucratic politics of NASA.

NASA needs someone at home in the environment it offers. Zubrin isn't that guy.

Give the administrator's job to the current director of the Kennedy Space Center. Between the hurricanes and the fires, I'm sure they need a vacation right about now. :;):

SpaceNut · 2004-12-14 05:36:52

This mornings news article proports that he needed to earn more money for his family?
NASA chief's letter tells president he's leaving public service to earn more money for family

In a time when Nasa can ill afford the missions let alone start a vision, he wants more money.... Sounds more like greed just like the Red soxs Pedro deal with regards to the Mets basically offering the same dollar value per year but for more years.. It just stinks!@#%$@ :angry:

Palomar · 2004-12-14 07:27:27

This mornings news article proports that he needed to earn more money for his family?
http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/s … R.htm]NASA chief's letter tells president he's leaving public service to earn more money for family
In a time when Nasa can ill afford the missions let alone start a vision, he wants more money.... Sounds more like greed just like the Red soxs Pedro deal with regards to the Mets basically offering the same dollar value per year but for more years.. It just stinks!@#%$@ :angry:

*Yeah. God forbid not every one of his children have a brand-spanking-new Rolls Royce every year. What a tragedy that'd be.

Of course, O'Keefe's leaving may wind up being a good/beneficial thing overall. But I'm not implying he's been a bad chief or etc.

--Cindy

GCNRevenger · 2004-12-14 08:41:22

Hey, there is nothing wrong with changing jobs for money, thats just the way free markets work. O'Keefe has skills that are worth more then what NASA pays, simple as that. Capitalism and all...

Doc Zubrin as NASA head? Ummmmmm I think there would be a mass exodus of NASA execs if that happend, they wouldn't work with the guy, he's too zealous and not capable of managing effectively.

I think I would prefer ex-military brass to former Shuttle astronauts, those guys are a serious risk of stealing the VSE money to keep their blessed bird (barely) flying to the worthless ISS forever... Death to Shuttle Huggers!

BWhite · 2004-12-14 09:10:07

Two words: Pete Worden.

Palomar · 2004-12-14 09:23:27

I think I would prefer ex-military brass to former Shuttle astronauts, those guys are a serious risk of stealing the VSE money to keep their blessed bird (barely) flying to the worthless ISS forever... Death to Shuttle Huggers!

*"Amen", GCN!

I hereby formally apply for the job. Will take 1/3 the pay of what the NASA chief's position pays and never ask for a raise. Shuttle huggers and Moonies will be hung out to dry. :;): Will sell ISS to Europe if they want it, on to a manned Mars base by 2012, etc. Time to kick some stellar booty!

--Cindy

GraemeSkinner · 2004-12-14 09:30:39

I'd give http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh … .html]this guy the job, perhaps he'd bully them into a quicker Mars mission

Graeme

MarsDog · 2004-12-14 10:12:43

Lot of the upper level managers are borderline psychopaths.
The type of person who could kill his mother, and walk whistling around the corner of the building after.

I have a better opinion of Zurbin. He would make a good critic, troubleshooter, polarizing. That is what is needed.

But it will likely be managed for US security & military reasons, by a career manager.

SpaceNut · 2004-12-14 10:32:00

Tow the Iss in pieces to Mars orbit on first few missions packed full to the brim with anything we might need once there.

Ad Astra · 2004-12-14 16:28:38

Military officers can be excellent managers but they are terrible leaders, and yes, there is a difference between a manager and a leader.

Dook, if you take the time to experience what real military officer training is about, they explicitly stress leadership over management. That's not to say that some officers don't become managers due to their personal weaknesses, but all officers are taught to motivate and to lead from the front. I'm sorry if I sound a bit testy, but you've struck a personal cord, and I think your understanding of the situation is bass-ackwards.

For what it's worth, I think Admiral Craig Steidle should become the next Administrator. He's ably lead Project Constellation, so he's guaranteed to support it and understand it. Former shuttle astronauts should be excluded from consideration unless they are willing to make the hard decisions in order to retire the shuttle on time and transition to the CEV. This includes pulling the plug on Hubble and cutting back ISS.

BWhite · 2004-12-14 17:50:20

If we scale back ISS, no need to to not fly a Hubble service mission. Hubble is a public relations icon. Perhaps its not logical, but to scrap Hubble in favor of VSE will provide the VSE with negative PR capital.

How we scale back ISS will be interesting to watch as well.

PurduesUSAFguy · 2004-12-14 18:18:29

If we scale back ISS, no need to to not fly a Hubble service mission. Hubble is a public relations icon. Perhaps its not logical, but to scrap Hubble in favor of VSE will provide the VSE with negative PR capital.
How we scale back ISS will be interesting to watch as well.

How about offering to sell the ISS at a bargin basement price to Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic Real Estate!

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#1 2004-12-12 11:38:16

Re: O'Keefe Resigns :: Zubrin Should Apply for the Job - Wanted: New NASA Chief

#2 2004-12-12 13:51:38

Re: O'Keefe Resigns :: Zubrin Should Apply for the Job - Wanted: New NASA Chief

#3 2004-12-12 14:10:19

Re: O'Keefe Resigns :: Zubrin Should Apply for the Job - Wanted: New NASA Chief

#4 2004-12-12 14:24:02

Re: O'Keefe Resigns :: Zubrin Should Apply for the Job - Wanted: New NASA Chief

#5 2004-12-12 14:29:58

Re: O'Keefe Resigns :: Zubrin Should Apply for the Job - Wanted: New NASA Chief

#6 2004-12-12 15:13:02

Re: O'Keefe Resigns :: Zubrin Should Apply for the Job - Wanted: New NASA Chief

#7 2004-12-12 17:00:48

Re: O'Keefe Resigns :: Zubrin Should Apply for the Job - Wanted: New NASA Chief

#8 2004-12-12 23:09:48

Re: O'Keefe Resigns :: Zubrin Should Apply for the Job - Wanted: New NASA Chief

#9 2004-12-12 23:33:21

Re: O'Keefe Resigns :: Zubrin Should Apply for the Job - Wanted: New NASA Chief

#10 2004-12-13 06:40:32

Re: O'Keefe Resigns :: Zubrin Should Apply for the Job - Wanted: New NASA Chief

#11 2004-12-13 09:37:33

Re: O'Keefe Resigns :: Zubrin Should Apply for the Job - Wanted: New NASA Chief

#12 2004-12-13 10:11:20

Re: O'Keefe Resigns :: Zubrin Should Apply for the Job - Wanted: New NASA Chief

#13 2004-12-13 11:04:01

Re: O'Keefe Resigns :: Zubrin Should Apply for the Job - Wanted: New NASA Chief

#14 2004-12-13 11:04:57

Re: O'Keefe Resigns :: Zubrin Should Apply for the Job - Wanted: New NASA Chief

#15 2004-12-14 05:36:52

Re: O'Keefe Resigns :: Zubrin Should Apply for the Job - Wanted: New NASA Chief

#16 2004-12-14 07:27:27

Re: O'Keefe Resigns :: Zubrin Should Apply for the Job - Wanted: New NASA Chief

#17 2004-12-14 08:41:22

Re: O'Keefe Resigns :: Zubrin Should Apply for the Job - Wanted: New NASA Chief

#18 2004-12-14 09:10:07

Re: O'Keefe Resigns :: Zubrin Should Apply for the Job - Wanted: New NASA Chief

#19 2004-12-14 09:23:27

Re: O'Keefe Resigns :: Zubrin Should Apply for the Job - Wanted: New NASA Chief

#20 2004-12-14 09:30:39

Re: O'Keefe Resigns :: Zubrin Should Apply for the Job - Wanted: New NASA Chief

#21 2004-12-14 10:12:43

Re: O'Keefe Resigns :: Zubrin Should Apply for the Job - Wanted: New NASA Chief

#22 2004-12-14 10:32:00

Re: O'Keefe Resigns :: Zubrin Should Apply for the Job - Wanted: New NASA Chief

#23 2004-12-14 16:28:38

Re: O'Keefe Resigns :: Zubrin Should Apply for the Job - Wanted: New NASA Chief

#24 2004-12-14 17:50:20

Re: O'Keefe Resigns :: Zubrin Should Apply for the Job - Wanted: New NASA Chief

#25 2004-12-14 18:18:29

Re: O'Keefe Resigns :: Zubrin Should Apply for the Job - Wanted: New NASA Chief

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