Tactical Mistakes Led to Mark Sirangelo’s Departure from NASA

May 24, 2019May 25, 2019 Doug Messier News 10 Comments

Lesson: Congress isn’t a speed bump. It’s more like a spike strip. When it forces you to back up, you end up with shredded tires. They launched an accelerated moon plan w/o getting a buy-in from Congress. It’s a co-equal not a subordinate branch of government.
— Parabolicarc.com (@spacecom) May 24, 2019

via GIFER

Emmet Ford
I don’t know. This doesn’t sound like the full story. Whether or not Congress backs the administration’s plan is not a settled question.
The Senate gets to issue their version of the NASA budget. Then the differences between the two get hashed out in a conference committee. In the mean time, politicing continues, and Bridenstine gets an opportunity to sell harder and better.
It’s not like they were were counting on new monies for this guy’s salary to come through in the current pay period. I think something else went down. Sometimes a new hire washes out quickly.
Robert G. Oler
and Jimbo was suppose to be the political genius reality no moon landing in 24
Paul_Scutts
Totally agree, Emmet. Maybe more like a case of money, resources, mission architecture or, under the circumstances, if the mission could likely be accomplished at all. Regards, Paul.
Lee
Not exactly sure how two of your tweets with your musings on Sirangelo’s departure, with no official content, tell us anything about why Sirangelo left NASA. Just sayin’
Mr Snarky Answer
Yes, they are like a spike strip…but installed backwards.
Emmet Ford
Consider it an opinion piece.
Vladislaw
It would seem when they offered him the job, he wasn’t going to take it unless NASA reorganized into a more workable directorate. He comes on board and instead sees it is just going to be more of the same .. and leaves..
Douglas Messier
The opinion is rather succinct. The rollout has been a fiasco. Insufficient consultation with Congress in advance. A lack of details when the policy was announced. Bringing on someone at the top of the agency for a job they couldn’t deliver. A top-level resignation after six weeks just as the House delivers a blow to the entire plan.
Douglas Messier
Apparently the House and Senate leadership on NASA’s budget has rejected the reorg. So, Sirangelo would be a top level adviser without a new directorate to run. Not what he signed on for.
But, I think you are probably right. I can’t imagine he was that thrilled that NASA went from Pence’s by any means necessary command to a program that relies on SLS & Orion and is only requesting $1.6 billion supplemental for FY 2020. So he probably lost some key arguments.
windbourne
mark has done a lot of work in the Denver area. He has done a lot of interesting tasks. I hated seeing him leave this area, but thought that he could do some good for NASA. Now???? I am thinking that things are more clustered there than is generally known.