Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!pasteur!agate!eos!steve
From: steve@eos.UUCP (Steve Philipson)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Spencer's signature
Message-ID: <1835@eos.UUCP>
Date: 1 Nov 88 01:55:16 GMT
References: <1988Oct28.180827.25578@utzoo.uucp> <2074@kalliope.rice.edu> <3437@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV>
Reply-To: steve@eos.UUCP (Steve Philipson)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Calif.
Lines: 41

In article <3437@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV> leem@jplpro.JPL.NASA.GOV (Lee Mellinger) writes:
>In article <2074@kalliope.rice.edu> phil@Rice.edu (William LeFebvre) writes:
>|In article <1988Oct28.180827.25578@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes:
>|>The dream *IS* alive...    |    Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
>|>but not at NASA.           |uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu
>|
>|I know this group has been through this before.......but I just wanted to
>|say, for the record, that I still take offense at Henry's signature.
>
>I too, take some offense at that signature.  While JPL is not a NASA
>center, it is still a NASA organization and I can tell you that it is
>emphatically NOT true.

   I might as well add my 2 nanocents worth. I worked at JPL for five
years and have been at NASA/Ames for over a year.  Most of us at NASA
centers believe in and care about the space program very strongly.  We
typically work at these centers for considerably less money than we
could get elsewhere;  these are desirable jobs 'cause the work is
meaningful, and people are willing to get paid less to be allowed to
do it.

   Most of us don't have any say in how money is allocated and what
projects are funded.  That comes from the upper level administrators,
Congress, and the president.  Leadership from those leaders (particularly
from the office of the president) has been conspicuously poor.  So, we
do our best with what we're given, and we try to get them to commit more.

   Henry's sig indicates a frustration with the space program that we
all feel,  but it is hurtful to those of us who are working with and for
NASA.  The problem is not that NASA people are unmotivated, but that
there is insufficient support from our government.

   Henry, you're free to use any sig you want.  Be aware though that
such lines are one more blow to those of us who are committing our
lives to the dream and the goals that you and we share.  It is 
particularly painful for it to be coming from someone as knowledgeable
and capable as you.
-- 

						   Steve
					(the certified flying fanatic)
					    steve@aurora.arc.nasa.gov