You’d think that NASA might have some heavy incentive to make nice with the new president-elect. But instead, it appears NASA administrator Mike Griffin is doing just about everything in his power to give Obama’s transition team the proverbial middle finger. Via the Orlando Sentinel, Griffin’s current acts of un-hospitality include obstructing efforts to obtain information, dictating what NASA employees and civilian contractors can tell the space transition team, and insulting the team’s leader to her face. Charming!

No bad deed comes without a motive, and Griffin’s is clear: to make darned well sure that his pet project, the absurdly over-delayed and over-budget Constellation program, escapes the ax in the new administration. And worry he should: Now that the Bush “go forth and conquer” agenda for space (an agenda accompanied by liberal check-writing) are leaving Washington, there’s a good chance Obama might scrap large parts of the program.

When Griffin got wind of this possibility, he started in with the gestapo tactics:

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.

Perhaps not the precedent we want set with the new administration’s space policy, no? As for the current White House, it has reportedly “pledged cooperation,” and advised staff to cooperate with the transition team in full. Griffin has also attempted some PR control:

Griffin himself sent a memo urging employees “to answer questions promptly, openly and accurately.”

At the same time, he made clear he expected NASA employees to stay on message.

Hmmm. So allow your staff to say whatever they want, just so long as it doesn’t contradict any of your policy agendas. Where have we heard that line before?

Related:
Bad Astronomy: NASA’s Griffin butting heads with Obama?
Bad Astronomy: Griffin/Obama follow up
RB: The Rape of the EPA: Bush Appointee Steven Johnson Called to Task
RB: Politicians in Space! Obama, McCain Clash on NASA Funding

Image: iStockPhoto

What are the three most important things the next U.S. president needs to do for science? To cut through the jargon and find an answer, we bring you the DISCOVER Science Policy Project, in which we give a group of the country’s most celebrated scientists and thinkers the chance to state their views. All past responses can be found here.

ALAN STERN
Planetary science researcher, former Associate Administrator of NASA

Set an integrally scientific and technological course forward. Mr. President, challenge the nation to lead the world and show by example how science and technology can transform the twenty-first century as deeply and successfully as it transformed the 20th century.

Act as an evangelist for a more scientifically literate public that is better able to evaluate issues such as global change, technology solutions to energy policy, evolution, and gene therapies. Too often our society devalues scientific literacy in the public. Yet with the wide array of public policy issues demanding scientific and technological solutions, our leaders must encourage a broader scientific literacy.

Spark new growth in America’s scientific and technical workforce. America is not training enough engineers and scientists. Mr. President: Fuel the nation’s future by doubling the army of scientists, engineers, and other tech workers who can be deployed to invent and deploy twenty-first century solutions to twenty-first century problems.

What are the three most important things the next U.S. president needs to do for science? To cut through the jargon and find an answer, we bring you the DISCOVER Science Policy Project, in which we give a group of the country’s most celebrated scientists and thinkers the chance to state their views. All past responses can be found here.

BUZZ ALDRIN
Astronaut

Commit to an expansion of federal funding for all U.S. federal scientific research (at least a 50 percent increase).

Elevate the president’s science adviser to report directly to the president (not the chief of staff) and make the Office of Science Technology Policy a cabinet rank, overseen by the science adviser.

Commit to a long term and stable federally funded program of exploration of space including manned exploration and settlement of the solar system and robotic exploration of the universe.

What are the most important things the next U.S. president needs to do for science? To cut through the jargon and find an answer, we bring you the DISCOVER Science Policy Project, in which we give a group of the country’s most celebrated scientists and thinkers the chance to respond to the following question:

What are the three most important things the next president can do to positively impact scientific research in the United States?

In the November issue of DISCOVER, we compile and analyze the results. In the meantime, we will be posting each response in its entirety here on Reality Base. Today’s entry is by celebrated astronomer—and fellow DISCOVER blogger—Phil Plait. Feel free to offer your own ideas and analysis in the comments section. All past responses can be found here.

PHIL PLAIT
Astronomer, author, popular blogger

• Stop standing on its throat.

The current administration has spun, folded, and mutilated science and scientific research since practically day one, letting ideology trump reality. If the next president does nothing but let science do its thing unfettered, then the situation will be dramatically improved.

• Work with Congress on actually funding it.

Seems simple and obvious, doesn’t it? But it’s hardly ever that way to politicians. Look at NASA: mandated to retire the Space Shuttle in 2010, but with no ability to build a new man-rated rocket until—at best—2014. It’s too late to throw money at that problem now, but had it been thought through better just five years ago, things would be a lot better for the space agency. Still, if NASA had better funding now and in the immediate future, the impact on space science would be profound. Instead of having to choose one amazing mission over another, both could fly. Just so’s you know, right now NASA gets much less than 1 percent of the national budget.

Where would this money come from? Well, we’re spending $20 million per hour in Iraq. That’s a good place to start looking.

• Encourage young scientists.

And by young, I mean *young*. Elementary school, middle school, high school. We need to make sure we have enough scientists going into the profession, of course. But I also mean this in a more general sense. Our world is ruled by science right now. Medical science, computer science, military science… If people don’t understand the basics of science, how can they be educated voters? And it’s clear a lot of people don’t make good decisions about science. They don’t vaccinate their children, they turn their backs on well understood and rock solid basics of reality (I’m talking evolution here), and more. An educated populace will be one better fit to make important decisions later in life.

Science is cool, it’s fun, it’s awe-inspiring. With a real pro-science president, a lot more people would be able to understand that.

We’re only too happy when the political debate turns to science, even if it means scrapping over who said what.

The latest altercation began earlier this week when Obama announced that he was revising his position on the U.S. space program to include a “comprehensive space plan that includes $2 billion in new funding to reinvigorate NASA” as well as a “promise to make space exploration and science a significantly higher priority,” according to the Washington Post. Details of the plan include finishing the International Space Station, supporting aeronautics research, and flying an additional shuttle mission to carry a $1.5 billion particle detector to the ISS.

The plan marks a shift from Obama’s position earlier in the campaign, when he proposed delaying NASA’s Constellation program in order to fund an $18 billion education plan—a proposal that was soon dropped. Still, McCain wasted no time in blasting his opponent for changing his position (“flip-flopping” accusations never seem to get old in politics) and proclaiming that by contrast, McCain himself would “ensure that space exploration remains a top priority and that the U.S. continues to lead the world in this field.”

Unfortunately for McCain, the Florida Democratic Party didn’t quite share his optimism, given that the five-year gap that’ll occur once the shuttle program ends in 2010 was created under McCain’s watch as former Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Party spokesman Eric Jotkoff had the following to say:

“It’s a little late for John McCain to claim he would minimize the gap that he helped create or save the jobs he helped put in danger… If concerned Space Coast workers are looking for someone to blame for this poorly-thought-out plan, they need to look no further than John McCain.”

As we’ve mentioned before, Florida has a huge stake in NASA’s well-being, and the state stands to lose thousands of jobs when the space shuttle program shuts down. Given that NASA is now making headlines in the presidential debate, it looked like Florida Sen. Bill Nelson’s tactic—harping on the fact that cutting NASA programs means relying on the Russians for access to space—worked just fine.