A disturbing report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) expresses serious concerns about the future of America’s space exploration agency.
The NASEM report was written by a committee of aerospace experts and describes a possible “empty future” for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The report cited the issue of underfunding due to a “declining national emphasis on aviation and civil space,” a claim that NASA itself is aware of and agrees with. The report also notes that NASA’s problems go beyond having enough money to carry out its mission and operations.
Some of the report’s “key findings” suggest concerns that could affect the space agency’s future. These include a focus on “short-term measures that do not adequately consider long-term needs or impacts,” a reliance on “milestone-based service purchase agreements,” and inefficiencies caused by “slow and cumbersome business operations.” The report also raises concerns that the current generation of talent is being siphoned off by private aerospace companies and that an underfunded public school system is denying the next generation of engineers an adequate knowledge base. Finally, the report bluntly states that NASA’s infrastructure is “already well beyond its design life.”
These and other issues could lead to even more serious problems. Norman Augustine, a former CEO of Lockheed Martin and lead author of the report, told The Washington Post that reliance on the private sector could further erode NASA’s workforce and reduce its role to oversight rather than problem solving.
Congress could allocate more funding to NASA to address these concerns, but that seems unlikely given the agency’s constant struggle to prevent a government shutdown. Instead, Augustine says, NASA should focus on more strategic goals and initiatives.
