National Academies Press: OpenBook
« Previous: 5 Roles of Academia and of Nontraditional Approaches
Suggested Citation:"A NASA Letter of Request." National Research Council. 2007. Building a Better NASA Workforce: Meeting the Workforce Needs for the National Vision for Space Exploration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11916.
×

Appendixes

Suggested Citation:"A NASA Letter of Request." National Research Council. 2007. Building a Better NASA Workforce: Meeting the Workforce Needs for the National Vision for Space Exploration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11916.
×

This page intentionally left blank.

Suggested Citation:"A NASA Letter of Request." National Research Council. 2007. Building a Better NASA Workforce: Meeting the Workforce Needs for the National Vision for Space Exploration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11916.
×

A
NASA Letter of Request

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Headquarters

Washington, DC 20546-0001

September 30, 2005

Program Analysis and Evaluation

Dr. Lennard Fisk

Chair,

Space Studies Board

National Research Council

500 Fifth Street NW
Washington, DC 20001

Dear Dr. Fisk:

The national Vision for Space Exploration calls for “a sustained and affordable human and robotic program to explore the solar system and beyond … starting with a human return to the Moon in preparation for human exploration of Mars and other destinations.” The Vision projects a robust scientific program and the development and utilization of the space systems to enable substantial progress towards the lunar goals within ten years and the possibility of human Mars missions within 30 years. The implications for the future U.S. aerospace and scientific workforce to carry out such a sustained effort are every bit as urgent and challenging as the technological aspects.


The task of meeting NASA’s workforce needs is daunting in view of the fact that the U.S. aerospace sector has been facing growing recruitment and retention problems for a number of years. In its 2004 report, the President’s Commission on Implementation of the United States Space Exploration Policy stated that “there is perhaps no greater imperative for ensuring successful and sustainable space exploration by this nation … [than to] … aggressively educate and train a new generation of explorers.”


Central to the workforce problems are the capabilities of the nation’s research universities, which will have the responsibility both to encourage students to pursue careers in space and to provide the required training. This issue was

Suggested Citation:"A NASA Letter of Request." National Research Council. 2007. Building a Better NASA Workforce: Meeting the Workforce Needs for the National Vision for Space Exploration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11916.
×

also noted in the 2004 report: “At present, there are insufficient methods for students to acquire hands-on experience in the scientific and technical disciplines necessary for space commerce and exploration. Therefore, a new alliance between NASA and universities should be formed.”


Consequently, there is a compelling need to carefully assess the current and future supply of a qualified U.S. aerospace workforce and to identify realistic, actionable solutions. At this time, I request that the Space Studies Board conduct a study in collaboration with the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board to explore long-range science and technology workforce needs to achieve the Vision for Space Exploration, identify obstacles to filling those needs, and explore solutions for consideration by government, academia, and industry. Specifically, the study should undertake the following:

  1. assess current and projected demographics of the U.S. aerospace engineering and space science workforce needed to accomplish the Vision;

  2. identify factors that impact the demographics of the affected workforces;

  3. assess NASA’s list of the workforce skills that will be needed to implement the Vision for Space Exploration, both within the government and in industry;

  4. identify the skills that will be needed to implement the Vision for Space Exploration within the academic community;

  5. assess the current workforce against projected needs;

  6. identify workforce gaps and analyze obstacles to responding to the workforce needs, in particular, analyze the proper role of academia and the obstacles for achieving this proper role; and

  7. develop recommendations for specific actions by the federal government, industry, and academia to address those needs, including considerations such as organizational changes, recruiting and hiring practices, student programs and workforce training and improvement.

The study should utilize existing statistical data to assess the current and future shortfall of a qualified U.S. aerospace workforce and focus on the particular needs of NASA and the larger aerospace science and engineering community in the context of the long-term Vision for Space Exploration, recognizing legislative requirements regarding national security.


We would like to incorporate the results of the initial stage of the study into our strategic planning process during the current year; to do so, we need to receive your initial input by late in the first quarter of FY06. The report that presents findings and recommendations on the long-term workforce requirements and proposed solutions would be most useful if delivered by the last quarter of FY06.


Please feel free to contact Ms. Trish Pengra at (XXX) XXX-XXXX in my office for more information.

Sincerely,

Scott Pace

Associate Administrator for Program Analysis and Evaluation

Suggested Citation:"A NASA Letter of Request." National Research Council. 2007. Building a Better NASA Workforce: Meeting the Workforce Needs for the National Vision for Space Exploration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11916.
×
Page 55
Suggested Citation:"A NASA Letter of Request." National Research Council. 2007. Building a Better NASA Workforce: Meeting the Workforce Needs for the National Vision for Space Exploration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11916.
×
Page 56
Suggested Citation:"A NASA Letter of Request." National Research Council. 2007. Building a Better NASA Workforce: Meeting the Workforce Needs for the National Vision for Space Exploration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11916.
×
Page 57
Suggested Citation:"A NASA Letter of Request." National Research Council. 2007. Building a Better NASA Workforce: Meeting the Workforce Needs for the National Vision for Space Exploration. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11916.
×
Page 58
Next: B Statement of Task »
Building a Better NASA Workforce: Meeting the Workforce Needs for the National Vision for Space Exploration Get This Book
×
Buy Paperback | $29.00 Buy Ebook | $23.99
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

The Vision for Space Exploration (VSE) announced by President George W. Bush in 2004 sets NASA and the nation on a bold path to return to the Moon and one day put a human on Mars. The long-term endeavor represented by the VSE is, however, subject to the constraints imposed by annual funding. Given that the VSE may take tens of years to implement, a significant issue is whether NASA and the United States will have the workforce needed to achieve that vision. The issues range from short-term concerns about the current workforce's skills for overseeing the development of new spacecraft and launch vehicles for the VSE to long-term issues regarding the training, recruiting, and retaining of scientists and engineers in-house as well as in industry and academia.

Asked to explore science and technology (S&T) workforce needs to achieve the nation's long-term space exploration, the Committee on Meeting the Workforce Needs for the National Vision for Space Exploration concluded that in the short term, NASA does not possess the requisite in-house personnel with the experience in human spaceflight systems development needed to implement the VSE. But the committee acknowledges that NASA is cognizant of this fact and has taken steps to correct it, primarily by seeking to recruit highly skilled personnel from outside NASA, including persons from industry and retirees.

For the long term, NASA has to ask if it is attracting and developing the talent it will need to execute a mission to return to the Moon, and the agency must identify what it needs to do to attract and develop a world-class workforce to explore other worlds. A major challenge for NASA is reorienting its human spaceflight workforce from the operation of current vehicles to the development of new vehicles at least throughout the next decade, as well as starting operations with new rockets and new spacecraft.

The committee emphasizes further that when evaluating its future workforce requirements, NASA has to consider not only programs for students, but also training opportunities for its current employees. NASA's training programs at the agency's various field centers, which are focused on NASA's civil service talent, require support to prevent the agency's internal skill base from withering. Furthermore, NASA faces the risk that, if it fails to nurture its own internal workforce, skilled personnel will be attracted to other government agencies and industry. Building a Better NASA Workforce: Meeting the Workforce Needs for the National Vision for Space Exploration explains the findings and recommendations of the committee.

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  9. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!