Tue, Sep 20, 2005
Space Agency Hopes To Make Cuts Through Attrition
In the process of
fulfilling President Bush's vision of a space agency that reaches
to the Moon, Mars and Beyond, NASA will paradoxically have to
pink-slip some 2,000 workers over the next year, according to
published reports.
That startling hint came from senior NASA managers quoted by the
Huntsville, AL, Times, as NASA looks at shifting gears from flying
shuttle missions on orbital missions and jaunts to the
International Space Station to flying missions to the moon by
2018.
The issue was also addressed by NASA Administrator Michael
Griffin on NASA-TV September 8th.
"Inevitably, I think you can look forward to having fewer people
on staff at NASA a year from now than there are today and I think
we just need to face up to that," he said.
To accomplish the cuts
it sees as necessary, NASA plans to expand a program of buyout
incentives and retirements. If the space agency has its way, there
won't be any layoffs. So managers are reportedly now trying to
assess the skills of their 17,086 workers and figure out who will
stay... and who will go.
Already, Congress has authorized NASA to offer buy-outs to about
425 workers at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville,
AL.
Rep. Bud Cramer (D-AL), told the Times Marshall employment will
"remain about the same. I'm not as concerned about (layoffs) as a I
was earlier in the year when programs were being slashed by NASA
and nothing was following on to replace them. I see nothing to be
concerned about when it comes to layoffs or job losses. Other
centers might have programs slashed, but I think we are in good
shape with Marshall."
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