My wife says I should write more of my own entires instead of just slapping a few sentences on an article I find of interest.
Fine...here goes.
While at work this morning I tuned into the live stream of the special Senate hearing dealing with the downturn of the workforce at the Kennedy Space Center after the shuttle is retired in late 2010. Of course, I was working so I couldn't pay complete attention, but I did catch some interesting tidbits.
First, people who work in the space industry aren't in it for the money. (Duh)
Second, the phasing out of the shuttle will bring about the loss of jobs. Although, the phasing in of the next programs may help to keep those folks around. One of the interesting things noted is that the new spacecraft coming after the shuttle will be assembled at KSC. I was a bit confused by this because normally the components of a rocket are brought together in the mighty big Vehicle Assembly Building. I'm thinking they were talking about more assembly of the individual components at KSC. This includes the new space capsule, rocket, and lunar lander.
Third, Congress is currently trying to get a bill passed to give NASA more money to speed the transition up and add another mission to the shuttle, but the current administration has vowed to veto any bill. The current administration says it wants to see the shuttle retired first and the new systems come online.
Finally, other county leaders testified about the current plans to offer training and help to those who will be let go in the short term. Senator Nelson did make an interesting plea to anyone watching who works at KSC to take advantage of the training being offered through state and county grants to help transition into new jobs. I wonder if this fall my class at FIT will be packed to the walls.
Overall, I was encouraged about the "long term" possibility at KSC. It will be rough for the immediate future, but for true space geeks I'm sure they'll find something to do in the interim.
So, how's that Danielle?
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Fine...here goes.
While at work this morning I tuned into the live stream of the special Senate hearing dealing with the downturn of the workforce at the Kennedy Space Center after the shuttle is retired in late 2010. Of course, I was working so I couldn't pay complete attention, but I did catch some interesting tidbits.
First, people who work in the space industry aren't in it for the money. (Duh)
Second, the phasing out of the shuttle will bring about the loss of jobs. Although, the phasing in of the next programs may help to keep those folks around. One of the interesting things noted is that the new spacecraft coming after the shuttle will be assembled at KSC. I was a bit confused by this because normally the components of a rocket are brought together in the mighty big Vehicle Assembly Building. I'm thinking they were talking about more assembly of the individual components at KSC. This includes the new space capsule, rocket, and lunar lander.
Third, Congress is currently trying to get a bill passed to give NASA more money to speed the transition up and add another mission to the shuttle, but the current administration has vowed to veto any bill. The current administration says it wants to see the shuttle retired first and the new systems come online.
Finally, other county leaders testified about the current plans to offer training and help to those who will be let go in the short term. Senator Nelson did make an interesting plea to anyone watching who works at KSC to take advantage of the training being offered through state and county grants to help transition into new jobs. I wonder if this fall my class at FIT will be packed to the walls.
Overall, I was encouraged about the "long term" possibility at KSC. It will be rough for the immediate future, but for true space geeks I'm sure they'll find something to do in the interim.
So, how's that Danielle?
Blogged with MessageDance using Gmail | Reply On Twitter
1 comment:
Good job, that's what I like to see your own thoughts, observations, etc. You know I like to get into your head.
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