This morning I had the chance to meet Dr. Griffin, the recently appointed NASA Administrator. He’s been on the job for about 6 months now and is starting to really gather steam. He was in town to give the keynote address to open the American Astronautical Society conference that’s happening today and tomorrow. I’m participating as a member of a joint JSC-JPL team that got together to talk about collaboration and the future. (Remember one of those trips to JPL in October? Yeah, this is the outcome of that.)
Anyway, this morning our JSC-JPL team of about 30 people sat down in a little room and chatted with Dr. Griffin, or Mike, as he prefers to be called. It was an interesting and enlightening conversation. We had the opportunity to ask real questions, and we had the opportunity to listen to him give real answers. I won’t pretend that he was entirely forthcoming — surely he is saavy enough to know how to correctly tailor his words to his audience — but I think he was honest and forthright, and told us what he really thought. And I loved it. I love when people cut the crap and just say what they think.
I suppose we all have a tendency to tiptoe around managerial types because they are in the position of authority, and they have the ability to hire and fire. But really, what purpose does it serve? If you always beat around the bush because you’re too scared to ask someone the real question, how can you ever expect to accomplish anything, or learn what you really want to know?
After all our work with the JPL folks talking about ideas for future collaboration, I wanted to know what the Administrator plans to do to facilitate it. Other people wanted to know what is to be done about our current lack of innovation. What are we going to do when we get back to the Moon that we didn’t do during Apollo? How do we help NASA gain enough momentum that we don’t get the rug pulled out from under us each time the Presidency or Congress changes hands?
So we asked Mike. And he answered. And he thought out loud. And he even vented a bit. I love it when people vent, makes them seem more real, and frustrated about the same things you are. Feels like you get their real opinion that way.
Some people were offended by some of his comments. I guess I probably could have been offended too, but I was too happy about hearing someone in a position of authority sound honest in his assessments of what’s possible, and truthful in his ideas of what’s not. At lunch, I told Gavin that if only I could have a pep talk from Mike every morning, maybe I could get excited about the space program again.
Our session is tomorrow morning. I get to speak in a room that will hold at least 300 people. It certainly won’t be full, but I think it may be the largest room I’ve ever spoken in. Slightly intimidating, but not too bad.
