The Growing Threat Of Actual Layoffs - NASA Watch
The news stories are piling up about the growing threat of actual layoffs| NASA Watch
Keith’s note: This was sent out to NASA employees by Stephen Shinn Acting NASA Chief Financial Officer: “A funding lapse will result in certain government activities ceasing due to a lack of appropriated funding. In addition, designated pre-notified employees of this agency would be temporarily furloughed. P.L. 116-1 would apply.” Full memo below Planning for Potential Lapse in FundingNASA Civil Servants, We have received official confirmation from the White House […] The post It’s ...| Budget Archives - NASA Watch
Keith’s note: In a joint 670/690 Helio/Planetary division meeting today with over 230 attendees Deputy Director Gina Dibraccio said that GSFC has been instructed by management to hold back on meetings with staff so the information does not end up on NASAWatch and elsewhere. When asked who told her that she responded “I am not going to answer that”. She also said “there will be no re-org” at GSFC. Staff […] The post Shutdown Preps at Goddard appeared first on NASA Watch.| Budget Archives - NASA Watch
Keith’s note: the following report was issued today: “The Destruction of NASA’s Mission” Whistleblowers reveal OMB’s Unconstitutional Plot to Gut the Agency – U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Maria Cantwell, Ranking Member Full report . — Excerpt below. NASA stunned the world and inspired generations on the day Americans first set foot on the moon. Since then, NASA’s breakthroughs and discoveries have superpowered America’s innovation economy, a...| Budget Archives - NASA Watch
Keith’s note: I was was on KNX News 97.1 FM radio in Los Angeles today (Tuesday) at 3:15 pm PDT/6:15 pm EDT talking about JPL and NASA jobs and NASA budgets. (Audio) The post NASAWatch on KNX Radio: JPL Jobs appeared first on NASA Watch.| TrumpSpace Archives - NASA Watch
Keith’s note: I got a call tonight from a local reporter in southern California about the layoff threat at JPL. Long story short he pushed hard to try and pry lose my sources. That ain’t gonna happen. Here’s what he posted “Layoffs coming to Pasadena’s JPL: Here’s what we know“– “Meanwhile, Keith Cowing, Nasawatch.com founder and editor, said the information he received was from JPL employees whom he spoke to […] The post More JPL Layoff Media Drama appeared first on NASA ...| TrumpSpace Archives - NASA Watch
Keith’s note: Things are moving fast here in Washington DC. Chaos reigns. The President quasi-communicates via social media. With a shutdown that shows no indication of being resolved, the White House has explicitly stated that they are moving ahead with plans to lay off thousands of employees across the Federal government. Every agency has provided their plans according to the White House. Administration sources say that the layoffs could start […] The post Things Are Moving Fast appeare...| TrumpSpace Archives - NASA Watch
Keith’s note: The White House / OMB are taking a stark stance on “imminent” layoffs across the government. They want people gone. Meanwhile NASA’s top leadership is going to receptions in Australia at IAC. Stories below. Government shutdown live updates, CNBC “We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for [Democrats],” Trump said at the White House on Tuesday, “like cutting vast numbers of people […] The post Shutdown Update appeared first on NAS...| TrumpSpace Archives - NASA Watch
Keith’s note: Employees at NASA Wallops Flight Facility under the Range Operations Contract II (ROC II) received the below email from contract management late Wednesday afternoon. Note: Charge codes, CUI information, emails etc. have been removed. Memo excerpt below. ————- ROC-II Team: So today finds us in a government shutdown. You all should have received a “Goddard-All” email giving general directions. While the opening line of the message was not […] The post Wallops Shutd...| TrumpSpace Archives - NASA Watch
Keith’s note: Here’s how you take a space agency that has visited every planet in our star system, touched our sun, sent humans to another world, and ventured into interstellar space – and dial it down from >10 to <.01 – in a day or so. Earlier post: this memo was issued by the NASA Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO) regarding “Please review your Formal Shutdown Furlough […] The post NASA Memo: Orderly Shutdown Activities appeared first on NASA Watch.| TrumpSpace Archives - NASA Watch
The news stories are piling up about the growing threat of actual layoffs| NASA Watch
NASA’s 10 new astronaut candidates were introduced Monday following a competitive selection process of more than 8,000 applicants from across the United States| NASA Watch
Once upon a time NASA PAO would have talked about increasing diversity| NASA Watch
Keith’s note: To my NASA JPL readers: I am doing my best to report what I learn about what is going on at your workplace. I get calls and texts at all hours of the day 7 days a week that I then have to check out. I am supposed to be retired and yet I spend hours a day on this. Even with contributions this costs me money to […] The post FYI JPLers appeared first on NASA Watch.| Personnel News Archives - NASA Watch
Keith’s note: JPLers got this email this morning from JPL Human Resources about the “Phase Two reorganization and upcoming layoff in October”. People are being warned that as many as 4,000 of the 5,500 JPL employees could be gone by 15 October 2025 and that there will be a mandatory return to the office for teleworkers who are still employed by 31 October 2025. Full note below. September 26, 2025From: […] The post JPLers Get Layoff Update Letter appeared first on NASA Watch.| Personnel News Archives - NASA Watch
Keith’s Note: according to a press release: “Last night, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a memo instructing federal agencies to prepare for Reductions in Force (RIF) if Congress does not pass a stopgap to fund the government by September 30. “The Trump administration continues to use public servants as pawns in their game to distract and destroy our federal agencies,” said Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren […] The post Rep. Zoe Lofgren Comments On RIF Threat ...| Personnel News Archives - NASA Watch
Keith’s note: Just as a new threat of RIFs and cancellations across NASA emerges – and the rebound that will have across the rest of the space community – JPL picked this opportunity to talk its employees out of working together to protect their careers by unionizing. Last month I posted “Is JPL Anti-Union?“: “Last week there was a NASA JPL town hall. The ongoing effort to unionize JPL was […] The post Perfect Timing For Pre-emptive Union Busting At JPL appeared first on NASA Wa...| Personnel News Archives - NASA Watch
Keith’s note: NASA MSFC Center Director Joseph Pelfrey is stepping down according to an email sent out this afternoon: “Team, As we enter the last quarter of 2025 and the year long celebration of Marshall’s 65th anniversary, I’ve enjoyed reflecting on all the amazing achievements our workforce and this community have accomplished for our Nation’s goals in space exploration. I’ve been encouraged by the examples of innovation, perseverance and resilience […] The post MSFC Center D...| Personnel News Archives - NASA Watch
Keith’s note: According to Politico (and other sources as well): “White House tells agencies to prepare for mass layoffs if government shuts down”: “In the memo, OMB told agencies to identify programs, projects and activities where discretionary funding will lapse on Oct. 1 and no alternative funding source is available. For those areas, OMB directed agencies to begin drafting RIF plans that would go beyond standard furloughs, permanently eliminating jobs […] The post A Shutdown Cou...| Personnel News Archives - NASA Watch
Keith’s note: The other day I tweeted that “In the @NASAKennedy town hall yesterday KSC Center Director and former Acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro said that it was that DOGE and the Administration who told her to consider firing probationary employees ‘because that’s an easy way to cut down the work force’.” NASA PAO has told me that Janet Petro has “worked to ensure the continuity of the Pathways intern […] The post About Those NASA Interns appeared first on NASA Watch.| Education Archives - NASA Watch
You may recall that NASA has pushed a huge portion of its science and engineering workforce out the door| NASA Watch
Very saddened by loss of a dear friend & NASA hero, Norm Carlson. THE NASA Test Director #SpaceShuttle #BeansAreGo pic.twitter.com/UTUfzPAxQy — Nicole Stott (@Astro_Nicole) March 2, 2015| NASA Watch
Keith’s note: Back in January 2025 several days after the Trump 2.0 team took over NASA, I posted this item about the first astronaut class chosen by NASA that included women and minorities. 24 hours after I posted this the link was taken down. This is what it looked like 2 days before the NASA DEIA cops took it down. 9 months later and it is still down. Why? Oddly, […] The post Prior Astronaut Announcement Censorship At NASA appeared first on NASA Watch.| TrumpSpace Archives - NASA Watch
Keith’s Update: First NASA Goddard sends an internal email to staff saying “unlike previous large-scale Center reconfigurations, which occurred over a number of years, all planned moves will take place over the next several months and will be completed by March of 2026.” Then they put this thing out for the public minutes late that makes no mention of the accelerated timeframe as if they had planned this whole thing […] The post Goddard Wants You To Think Its Self-Destruction Was A Lo...| TrumpSpace Archives - NASA Watch
Keith’s note: this memo was sent to GSFC-DL-ALL from GSFC-Communications today at 2:12 PM. Subject: Transforming for the Future at Greenbelt and Wallops. It is important to note that the memo says “unlike previous large-scale Center reconfigurations, which occurred over a number of years, all planned moves will take place over the next several months and will be completed by March of 2026.” (Full text below) Dear Colleagues: As you […] The post NASA Goddard Begins To Disassemble Itsel...| TrumpSpace Archives - NASA Watch
Keith’s note: OK so there is no legislation to extend spending until 21 November. Congress is leaving town and will only be back on 30 September – 1 October when it is probably too late to prevent a shutdown. The Presidential Budget Request (PBR) for FY 2026 kicks in and all the scary things that White House and OMB wanted to do to NASA missions and personnel will happen. Of […] The post Prepare For The Worst, NASA appeared first on NASA Watch.| TrumpSpace Archives - NASA Watch
Keith’s note: Since there will be no budget emerging from Congress on 30 September, on 1 October the President’s Budget Request for FY 2026 will reign – unfettered. Add in some recision for good measure. The people of NASA will want to know what is going on – from NASA – not NASAWatch. Alas, NASA OCOMM/PAO will have ~60 FTEs laid off i.e. fewer people to explain increasingly more inexplicable […] The post More Changes But Fewer Explainers appeared first on NASA Watch.| TrumpSpace Archives - NASA Watch
Keith’s note: As you ponder protests, policies, and how everyone should respond, re-read this part of the Executive Order that erases NASA’s union rights. It redefines what NASA is – despite whatever wording is in its charter or innumerable authorization and appropriations over the years. It says that NASA is “hereby determined to have as a primary function intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative, or national security work. It is also hereby determined […] The post Speak Ou...| Activism Archives - NASA Watch
the following email was sent by the president of President AFEU/IFPTE local 30 at NASA Ames| NASA Watch
Interplanetary Memorial to Victims of Sept. 11, 2001: “The piece of metal with the American flag on it in this image of a NASA rover on Mars is made of aluminum recovered from the site of the World Trade Center towers in the weeks after their destruction. The piece serves as a cable guard for the rock abrasion tool on NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Spirit as well as a memorial […] The post An Offworld Memorial To 9-11 Victims appeared first on NASA Watch.| Personnel News Archives - NASA Watch
Keith’s note: I’m going to skip going into DC to cover the 15 September protest at NASA HQ . To protect sources let me just say that there are some people in the building who’d love to have security jump on me for crossing an invisible line on the sidewalk or use video to see who I talk to on the sidewalk. Paranoid? Yup. The post Skipping The 15 Sep Protest appeared first on NASA Watch.| Personnel News Archives - NASA Watch
GESTA recently received notification of Agency Management’s intent to modify NASA’s policies and procedures governing Reductions in Force (RIFs)| NASA Watch
Keith’s note: There will be another “Save NASA” protest at NASA Headquarters on Monday Sept. 15th. This is the third “Save NASA” protest in Washington, DC. More below The organizers say: “we are a peaceful protest group, and we stand in solidarity with other scientific advocacy groups. This protest intends to raise public awareness and provide information about present and near-future cuts at NASA, and to urge Congress to pass […] The post Another “Save NASA” Protest At NASA...| TrumpSpace Archives - NASA Watch
Keith’s note: NASA held an internal all hands briefing this morning. Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy said that is giving a lot of authority to the new NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya. Duffy is not sure how long he will be acting Administrator since there are no plans in place but that could change. Duffy said that American needs to get to the Moon before China and then go on […] The post NASA Briefed Employees This Morning (Audio) appeared first on NASA Watch.| TrumpSpace Archives - NASA Watch
Keith’s note: OK so I am ‘back’. Thanks for all the kind words, support etc. Let’s get down to business. The month of September is going to be the hardest yet for NASA. Multiple budget profiles will collide with one another – in an inelastic fashion. Missions will be on hold and operate in holding pattern mode. Other missions will simply die at the hands of budgeteers. And the people […] The post NASA Forecast For September 2025 appeared first on NASA Watch.| TrumpSpace Archives - NASA Watch
In addition to erasing NASA's Union rights| NASA Watch
The White House has issued an Executive Order that strips the ability of NASA employees (and employees at other agencies) to organize unions.| NASA Watch
Keith’s note: Last week there was a NASA JPL town hall. The ongoing effort to unionize JPL was a topic of discussion. Shortly after that an anti-union email was sent by management to all employees. Here is the JPL Workers United website: https://jplworkersunited.org The post Is JPL Anti-Union? appeared first on NASA Watch.| Activism Archives - NASA Watch
This is the internal RIF planning chart circulating within NASA the Human Health and Performance Contract community.| NASA Watch
Today, Karen Feldstein, associate administrator for international and interagency relations, announced she is leaving the agency after more than 30 years of distinguished public service| NASA Watch
Keith’s note: the occupant’s last whiteboard message is a common sight across NASA. A wealth of expertise and dedication is being mindlessly forced out, undermining NASA’s leadership in space exploration. Ad Astra Per Aspera y’all. Larger image below.| NASA Watch
Keith’s Update: I will been CNN at 6:37 pm EDT to talk about Jim Lovell. Keith’s note: I met Jim Lovell a bunch of times. He was such a nice guy. One time we were both on MSNBC and the moderator asked us about the whole ‘spending money in space – problems on Earth’ thing. I said “Hey Jim – did you ever see a 7-11 or a gas station […] The post Jim Lovell appeared first on NASA Watch.| Personnel News Archives - NASA Watch
Keith’s note: Multiple sources have mentioned ongoing discussion at NASA HQ, NASA Goddard, and NASA Wallops that consider the option of moving toward a Government-Owned, Contractor-Operated (GOCO) model for the future of Wallops. The post Is NASA Wallops Going GOCO? appeared first on NASA Watch.| Personnel News Archives - NASA Watch
This is really starting to get petty Sean and Brian| NASA Watch
A lot of media focus has been on departing NASA civil servants (which sucks)| NASA Watch
This memo was just sent out to NASA SMD employees| NASA Watch
Keith’s note: Kevin Coggins (LinkedIn), the current AA for NASA SCaN, who was trying to be noticed as a possible administrator nominee, is supposedly going to be the next Associate Administrator of NASA. Vanessa Wyche is the Acting Associate Administrator so I guess she goes back to JSC where Stephen Koerner is Acting Director. With Coggins moving up that means he’ll be with other Florida natives – de facto NASA […] The post Another Florida Man On NASA’s 9th Floor? appeared first on...| TrumpSpace Archives - NASA Watch
NASA’s Deferred Resignation Program| NASA Watch
NASA Associate Administrators & Center Directors are told by the Acting Administrator to get more people to quit.| NASA Watch
Keith’s note: this went out to everyone at NASA. You’d think that a former TV guy could read the room a little better i.e. “deeply personal and often difficult decisions”. — “Dear Team, Thank you to all who took the time to thoughtfully consider NASA’s voluntary resignation programs. I know these are deeply personal and often difficult decisions. To those who have chosen to depart, I want to express my […] The post Sean Duffy: Embrace The Challenge 2.0 appeared first on NASA W...| Administrator Updates Archives - NASA Watch
Keith’s note: Vanessa Wyche Acting NASA Associate Administrator just sent this out: “NASA Team Members, Dr. Makenzie Lystrup, director of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, announced that she will leave NASA, effective Friday, Aug. 1. As center director of Goddard since April 2023, Makenzie also was responsible for guiding the direction and management of multiple other NASA field installations including Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, Katherine Johnson […]...| Personnel News Archives - NASA Watch
Apparently NASA Interim AdministratorSean Duffy was actually onsite at NASA HQ briefly last Friday.| NASA Watch
Keith’s note: according to this Reuters article: “NASA Chief of Staff Brian Hughes speaking at the same town hall, agreed, saying it would “probably be considered irresponsible” to wait for the congressional budget process. The letter added that Hughes recently ordered NASA science programs targeted for cancellation in Trump’s budget request to stop issuing press releases celebrating new scientific results and achievements.” In addition, senior staff at recent meetings at […] Th...| TrumpSpace Archives - NASA Watch
Explore new career preparedness and development offerings| NASA Watch
Keith’s note: Apparently Janet Petro did not ‘Embrace The Challenge’ hard enough when it came to getting people at NASA to quit – thus leading to her replacement – even thought the NASA website says she is still in charge. At least that is what senior NASA leadership tells me. Interim (i.e part time) NASA Administrator (and also Secretary of Transportation) Sean Duffy is a 100% Administration loyalist so he […]| NASA Watch
Things are starting to look darker at NASA.| NASA Watch
Keith’s note: Mike Witt, NASA’s Senior Agency Information Security Officer (SAISO) and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for Cybersecurity and Privacy is leaving the agency shortly. Best wishes, Mike. The post Mike Witt Is Leaving NASA appeared first on NASA Watch.| IT/Web Archives - NASA Watch
Meta has suspended the Facebook NASAWatch page - again.| NASA Watch
In what will soon become commonplace another valuable and valued employee is leaving NASA| NASA Watch
It’s hard to believe it’s time to say goodbye after 25 years at NASA| NASA Watch
As we approach Independence Day| NASA Watch
According to "The first rule in Trump’s Washington: Don’t write anything down" in The| NASA Watch
I spent several hours at NASA HQ this morning at the protest event| NASA Watch
I simply do not understand why the Planetary Society| NASA Watch
Janet Petro's Embrace The Challenge| NASA Watch
Keith’s Note: on this date 1 April 1996, NASA (RIF) Watch was born with this posting. No kidding. “Editor’s note: From a well-placed source at NASA HQ who participated in this meeting: Mal Peterson (NASA HQ Comptroller’s Office) personally briefed NASA program managers (Centers and HQ) yesterday (27 March) and gave instructions for planning and implementing a RIF by Summer 1997, the reduction to be completed by October 1998, to […] The post NASAWatch Is 29 appeared first on NASA Watch.| News Archives - NASA Watch
HLS program manager Lisa Watson-Morgan is retiring at the end of the month - via an email to the HLS work force.| NASA Watch
Looks like the folks in Cleveland are taking a stand.| NASA Watch
t looks like the NASAPRS "NASA Task Book is down for maintenance" according to its website| NASA Watch
Janet Petro NASA Update - May 1, 2025| NASA Watch
The DEI Erasure Squad has been busy.| NASA Watch
Keith's note: according to NSF director to resign amid grant terminations, job cuts, and controversy at Science| NASA Watch
Janet Petro NASA Update – NASA Update - April 18, 2025| NASA Watch
According to this 2021 ENR article, Acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro| NASA Watch
there has been a swarm of stories of late about NASA abandoning the whole "first woman and first person of color" tag line| NASA Watch
WRT Janet Petro's update today - she included a comment (about her standard update closing| NASA Watch
Keith's note: the following was sent to NASA Employees today:| NASA Watch
