Associate Administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate
NASA Headquarters
03 April 2008
As you probably know by now, I have announced my resignation as NASA's Associate Administrator for SMD and will be departing at the end of this week. Dr. Ed Weiler will assume this post on Monday April 7.
I assure you that my decision to resign came only after several months of hard thought and reflection about the consequences of spiraling mission costs that SMD could not control. In the end, this became an important matter of principle that trumped even my boss, NASA Administrator Mike Griffin's desire for me to stay and my regard for him.
I want you to know that I remain highly impressed with Mike Griffin, and I am as excited as ever at the fundamental progress he is making in renewing human space flight toward a better future centered on the exploration of the solar system.
In the past year, SMD accomplished a great deal-making the first word in SMD-Science-first in our priorities and first in our portfolio. This resulted in R&A increases and process improvements, new Earth science and lunar science initiatives, expanded suborbital programs, and multiple new mission starts in each of our four science Divisions. I believe we also demonstrated the benefits of management discipline, transparency, and innovation to advancing the Earth and space sciences within NASA, and we began demonstrating how SMD can be more relevant to American society.
During my tenure at NASA I met many, many fine people and came to realize that few outside NASA realize just how talented, dedicated, and relentlessly hard working the Headquarters staff and management team is.
I am extremely proud of the work done by the staff of SMD and the reforms to project and processes that we undertook. I want to extend my thanks to SMD's staff, its Division Directors and their deputies, and to the dedicated leadership of the SMD front office team, for that hard work. I am also proud of the very strong relationship we re-forged with the scientific community.
As SMD now moves forward, I want to tell you that Ed Weiler is an incredibly talented, energetic, dedicated manager and civil servant who cares deeply about science. You can rest assured that with Ed at the helm, SMD's future is in capable hands.
But Ed will need your help to maintain the positive pace of change going forward in SMD and its research and mission portfolio. It is my opinion that this can be done only by carefully controlling mission costs. I ask you to work closely with Ed for the continued betterment of SMD and NASA.
I'll close now by thanking all of you who have written of your support in the past week, and by saying that I look forward to seeing you in the future we make for ourselves.
Alan Stern
