Author Topic: Bolden to meet Obama on Wednesday  (Read 102790 times)

Offline wjbarnett

« Last Edit: 12/16/2009 12:50 am by wjbarnett »
Jack

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Re: Bolden to meet Obama on Wednesday
« Reply #1 on: 12/16/2009 12:30 am »
With Sen. Nelson also attending!

Unless there's another source for the information, I believe the mention of Nelson is limited to his being Bolden's friend and not that he is attending the meeting.

Offline robertross

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Re: Bolden to meet Obama on Wednesday
« Reply #2 on: 12/16/2009 12:30 am »
Finally. Maybe we'll hear some hints after this meeting on what the future holds.

Offline DaveS

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Re: Bolden to meet Obama on Wednesday
« Reply #3 on: 12/16/2009 12:44 am »
With Sen. Nelson also attending!

Unless there's another source for the information, I believe the mention of Nelson is limited to his being Bolden's friend and not that he is attending the meeting.
Correct. If you read further down you'll find this:

"3:05PM           THE PRESIDENT meets with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden
Oval Office
                        Closed Press"

No mention of Sen. Nelson, just NASA Administrator Bolden.
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Offline wjbarnett

Re: Bolden to meet Obama on Wednesday
« Reply #4 on: 12/16/2009 12:49 am »
Yes, you're right. I mis-read the Florida Today article.  I wonder what it takes (politically) to get your name inserted like that in such highly public venues...

Corrected.
Jack

Offline Antares

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Re: Bolden to meet Obama on Wednesday
« Reply #5 on: 12/16/2009 12:51 am »
Politics that align with those of the news source.

Or in a bad light, those 180 out from the news source.
If I like something on NSF, it's probably because I know it to be accurate.  Every once in a while, it's just something I agree with.  Facts generally receive the former.

Offline gladiator1332

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Re: Bolden to meet Obama on Wednesday
« Reply #6 on: 12/16/2009 01:12 am »
I think it is going to be an interesting month. :)

Offline khallow

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Re: Bolden to meet Obama on Wednesday
« Reply #7 on: 12/16/2009 02:36 am »
I wonder how long it will be. A similar sort of meeting earlier in the day is followed by another event 25 minutes later. Having said that, fifteen minutes with the president could be good enough for a lot of things.
Karl Hallowell

Offline vt_hokie

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Re: Bolden to meet Obama on Wednesday
« Reply #8 on: 12/16/2009 03:07 am »
I sure hope we hear something definitive soon.  The lack of direction has lasted far too long!

Offline Bubbinski

Re: Bolden to meet Obama on Wednesday
« Reply #9 on: 12/16/2009 04:46 am »
I'm with vt_hokie....hope we get a move toward the "stone tablet" moment.  Might Obama announce something before his trip to Copenhagen?? 
I'll even excitedly look forward to "flags and footprints" and suborbital missions. Just fly...somewhere.

Offline ares-mojo

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Re: Bolden to meet Obama on Wednesday
« Reply #10 on: 12/16/2009 08:41 am »
Might Obama announce something before his trip to Copenhagen?? 

Probably not. But considering the health care reform schedule (significant speech probably only in January), he might just use the holidays that are coming up for a vision-speech on spaceflight.

Offline Ben the Space Brit

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Re: Bolden to meet Obama on Wednesday
« Reply #11 on: 12/16/2009 09:10 am »
I think that this meeting will be the moment that I have posted about before on threads discussing the future course of NASA.  Obama is going to look Bolden in the eye and say: "I've read the studies and had my technical advisers look through all the data.  I know the options and the recommendations from dozens of experts, both NASA and independent.  I'm pretty clear on the benefits, drawbacks and risks.  However, right now, all I want to hear from you is your recommendation as to the way forward.  As Chief Administrator, where is NASA going?"

This will be the moment, I think, that tests Bolden's mettle as NASA's chief administrator.  It will determine if he is a technocrat who just signs his name on the consensus recommendation paper, or whether he can provide direction of his own.

[edit]
What might Obama's vision be? Given the focus on 'commercial', not only by the Augustine panel but also by several senior figures in NASA itself, I suspect that we will see a major step-change in how NASA does things.  I predict that ISS support will become 100% commercial & international partner after shuttle retirement.  The Orion mission to ISS will be cancelled.

As a consequence of this, Orion development will be stretched out and IOC deferred, possibly as far away as 2017.  The immediate priority will be getting commecial ISS support options (CRS and CCDev) operational as soon as possible (before 2015).  Only after that priorty is achieved will work really go into developing the next-generation human exploration systems ("NASA's Next Spaceship").

I wouldn't want to guess what Obama may invision post-ISS.  However, if he decides he doesn't want to be seen as lacking pioneering vision, he might propose funding the EELV evolution program with the objective of doing something similar to the Zubrin Mars Direct program for the Mars departure windows in the late 2020s.  In any case, such a thing is so far away as he can afford to be vague and aspirational about it because funding it will be something so far down the road that he doesn't have to worry about it.
« Last Edit: 12/16/2009 10:08 am by Ben the Space Brit »
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Offline ares-mojo

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Re: Bolden to meet Obama on Wednesday
« Reply #12 on: 12/16/2009 10:40 am »
However, right now, all I want to hear from you is your recommendation as to the way forward.  As Chief Administrator, where is NASA going?"

No offense, but that's just not how things work in reality. It's not like the WH staff have no idea of what the options are or that Bolden himself can make a recommendation and his word will be taken for granted. There are processes that need to be adhered to. The discussion between Obama, Bolden and Holdren (yes, Holdren will be present) is not going to be a discussion of technical options or visions, but a discussion about processes going forward. Obama will brief Bolden about where NASA's budget will likely be and Holdren and Bolden will brief Obama about where the technical assessment is right now and where they are in finalizing the restructuring of the HSF part of NASA. They will then agree on a final time schedule for the announcement of the way forward, with the details being continuously fledged out between the WH staff, key Congress members and NASA - as it always is.

Offline robertross

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Re: Bolden to meet Obama on Wednesday
« Reply #13 on: 12/16/2009 11:39 am »
I'm wondering: was the this announcement some days in the making, or just spur of the moment? I say this, because I wonder if Sen. Shelby is making waves, and this is perhaps tied into it somehow.

Offline mjcrsmith

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Re: Bolden to meet Obama on Wednesday
« Reply #14 on: 12/16/2009 02:37 pm »
While the ending time of the meeting is not listed.  The next item on the President's schedule is at 5:15 PM ET.

Per this site:

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/12/16/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry5986070.shtml

Offline mikegi

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Re: Bolden to meet Obama on Wednesday
« Reply #15 on: 12/16/2009 03:06 pm »
Obama is going to look Bolden in the eye and say: "I've read the studies and had my technical advisers look through all the data.  I know the options and the recommendations from dozens of experts, both NASA and independent.  I'm pretty clear on the benefits, drawbacks and risks.  However, right now, all I want to hear from you is your recommendation as to the way forward.  As Chief Administrator, where is NASA going?"
Probably more like this: Obama, if he actually goes to the meeting room at all, will say,

"Mr. .... [looks down at notecard] ... Bolden, is it? Yes, I think we need to be bold ... [looks at Science Advisor, who shakes his head] ... uh, fiscally responsible [smiles] ... in our space program. Work it out with my staff. See ya".

Offline ares-mojo

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Re: Bolden to meet Obama on Wednesday
« Reply #16 on: 12/16/2009 04:03 pm »
Obama is going to look Bolden in the eye and say: "I've read the studies and had my technical advisers look through all the data.  I know the options and the recommendations from dozens of experts, both NASA and independent.  I'm pretty clear on the benefits, drawbacks and risks.  However, right now, all I want to hear from you is your recommendation as to the way forward.  As Chief Administrator, where is NASA going?"
Probably more like this: Obama, if he actually goes to the meeting room at all, will say,

"Mr. .... [looks down at notecard] ... Bolden, is it? Yes, I think we need to be bold ... [looks at Science Advisor, who shakes his head] ... uh, fiscally responsible [smiles] ... in our space program. Work it out with my staff. See ya".


People underestimate the importance of NASA. NASA's budget is only a little less than e.g. the whole budget of the Department of Energy or the whole budget of the Department of Agriculture.

Do you think Obama will have his staff work out details of agriculture subsidies and regulations affecting 300 million Americans and hundreds of millions of other people outside of Americans without him being involved? Do you think the question of building new nuclear power plants and/or clean coal power plants and starting to implement a smart energy grid is just left to staffers without Obama being briefed on these subjects?

People need to think about NASA not in terms of overall budget in relation to the total federal spending, they need to think about it in terms of how the R&D spending line item is treated within a technology company. In many industries R&D is extremely important, but still it only accounts for a small fraction of overall costs. Pfizer will expense much more on lobbying, marketing, managing, distribution, etc. than on R&D. But without R&D their company would just break down. That being said 1% or even 0.5% of a budget of an organization can be decisive for its future.

To sum up, WH staffers and NASA have worked the issue for months now. Obama has been briefed on progress, options and plans on a continuous basis. High level discussions like these aren't singular events without context, they are there to focus the process and get things moving further.

Offline AlexInOklahoma

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Re: Bolden to meet Obama on Wednesday
« Reply #17 on: 12/16/2009 04:09 pm »
I'd bet that there will also be the mandatory 'photo-op' pose of Prez with the Director to place in with the announcement when its delivered.  It may be the shaking-of-hands to say visually "Its all agreed upon" or maybe with some other visual imagery of being on the same team, so to speak.  No adept politician is without such tactics, and I'm not saying its bad to do so by any means  :)  Stuff at this level uses all the facets available (usually)...   

History/posterity just loves photos of 'moments in time'.

Alex

Offline robertross

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Re: Bolden to meet Obama on Wednesday
« Reply #18 on: 12/16/2009 04:19 pm »
Obama is going to look Bolden in the eye and say: "I've read the studies and had my technical advisers look through all the data.  I know the options and the recommendations from dozens of experts, both NASA and independent.  I'm pretty clear on the benefits, drawbacks and risks.  However, right now, all I want to hear from you is your recommendation as to the way forward.  As Chief Administrator, where is NASA going?"
Probably more like this: Obama, if he actually goes to the meeting room at all, will say,

"Mr. .... [looks down at notecard] ... Bolden, is it? Yes, I think we need to be bold ... [looks at Science Advisor, who shakes his head] ... uh, fiscally responsible [smiles] ... in our space program. Work it out with my staff. See ya".


Of course they will meet. This is IN the Oval office after all...
And the two have met before, right after his (Bolden's) appointment.

Offline mikegi

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Re: Bolden to meet Obama on Wednesday
« Reply #19 on: 12/16/2009 04:22 pm »
Do you think Obama will have his staff work out details of agriculture subsidies and regulations affecting 300 million Americans and hundreds of millions of other people outside of Americans without him being involved?
Yes.

Quote
Do you think the question of building new nuclear power plants and/or clean coal power plants and starting to implement a smart energy grid is just left to staffers without Obama being briefed on these subjects?
I imagine Obama says to those staffers, "do whatever makes me look Green", and sends them on their way.

Politicians care about one thing: reelection. Whatever his staffers think will maintain/increase his votes will be his "vision".

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