Mike Griffin Will Just Not Fade Away

Former NASA Administrator Mike Griffin

Former NASA Administrator Mike Griffin continues to insert himself into the debate over NASA’s future. In a widely circulated email, Griffin says he would rather have the space agency burned to the ground by inaction than to accept the Senate’s authorization bill:

As happened after the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia, it is time once again to ask ourselves whether we want to have a real space program, or not. If we do, then the Senate Bill won’t get us there. If we cannot do better than that, then I believe we have reached the point where it is better to allow the damage which has been brought about by the administration’s actions to play out to its conclusion than to accept half-measures in an attempt at remediation.”

I can’t remember a former head of a federal agency being this high profile in a debate over the organization after leaving his job. The only person I can think of is former FEMA Director Michael “heck of a job” Brown, who recently resurfaced to lambaste the Obama Administration over its handling of BP’s colossal oil spill in the Gulf.

Note to Mike: Brownie is not anyone you really want to emulate.

And according to Wayne Hale, NASA’s actual response to the Columbia tragedy was to construct a sand castle and then to stick its collective head in the ground when the tide rolled in. Your Constellation architecture didn’t seem to help matters any.

Mike, we all want a real space program. Some of us just don’t want YOUR space program.