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http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/na … ml]Another wrench in the works?
*Hmmmmm. It'll be interesting to see how this works itself out (as if the handwriting on the wall isn't already apparent enough).
40% of NASA's workers are 50+ years old. Those folks who have 20 years of (gov't) service are eligible for early retirement.
22% are 55 or older; and 30 years of service are eligible for early retirement.
A mere 4% are under 30.
NASA employees 60+ years old outnumber folks 30 and under by 3:1.
They'd better "get on the ball" with their recruiting attempts.
Mentions the "lengthy hiring freeze" which began in 1993...
"The upshot: NASA might be ill prepared for a bold future in space exploration."
Also: "NASA's Apollo workforce was 'young, innovative, creative,' he added. 'I think NASA is aging, and that's a concern.'"
Yeah, I'd say so. :-\
--Cindy
We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...
--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)
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From the artile's last few lines:
"Hayes also intends to tell the next generation it's time to get on the next space train.
"I'm going to lift up the new vision and the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of this new exploration initiative," Hayes said, "emphasizing how possible it is for us to do what the president is talking about -- going to Mars.""
He's one of the 4%- a 2000 graduate. His enthousiasm is heart-warming, but I'm afraid the 40% 50+ disillusioned majority rather thinks Bush is shooting for the moon... If even that...
No dis to the old hands, but they've seen this all before, didn't they? And seen numerous of promising project getting the axxe, to boot...
Must be a tough place to work, at times, when you're starry-eyed... And I think 99% of these fantastic people are, or they would've left decades ago...
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There are times I think we might be much better off with a much more reckless space program. Maybe for every new recruit with a engineering doctorate they need two with more rounded skills and a willingness to take insane risks with untested hardware built by the lowest bidder. Perhaps something like the early days of aviation. A few people would get blown up, but that happens from time to time anyway.
Progress is dangerous, but worth it most of the time.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
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