posted 03-22-2013 07:10 PM               

Effective immediately, all education and public outreach activities should be suspended, pending further review. In terms of scope, this includes all public engagement and outreach events, programs, activities, and products developed and implemented by Headquarters, Mission Directorates, and Centers across the Agency, including all education and public outreach efforts conducted by programs and projects.

The scope comprises activities intended to communicate, connect with, and engage a wide and diverse set of audiences to raise awareness and involvement in NASA, its goals, missions and programs, and to develop an appreciation for, exposure to, and involvement in STEM. Audiences include employees, partners, educators, students, and members of the general public. The scope encompasses, but is not limited to:

• Programs, events, and workshops.
  
• Permanent and traveling exhibits, signage, and other materials.
  
• Speeches, presentations, and appearances, with the exception of technical presentations by researchers at scientific and technical symposia.
  
• Video and multimedia products in development (and renewal of existing products).
  
• Web and social media sites in development (excludes operational sites).
  
• External and internal publications, with the exception of Scientific and Technical Information as defined by NPD 2200.1B.
  
• Any other activity whose goal is to reach out to external and internal stakeholders and the public concerning NASA, its programs, and activities.

Additional information regarding the waiver and review process will be issued by the Associate Administrators for Communications and Education. The Agency has already made tough choices about conferences and travel. For those activities planned to be held between the date of this memorandum through April 30, 2013, that your organization deems to be Agency mission-critical, the Headquarters Offices of Communications and Education will conduct a waiver process to promptly evaluate those specific efforts.

For future activities, the Offices of Communications and Education have established a process to assess and determine, in light of the current budget situation, what education and public outreach activities should be determined Agency mission critical and thereby be continued or implemented...

posted 03-22-2013 08:29 PM               

Heard that NASA communications and outreach is shutting down? We're not going anywhere.

Given the budget climate, we're reviewing outreach to ensure we’re communicating smartly - priority on mission critical activities.

posted 03-23-2013 07:28 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by issman1:
Is this really sequestration?

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"The agency's budget for the fiscal year is more that $1 billion below the original request. We are taking prudent steps to ensure the resources expended on outreach activities are done so wisely.

"Mission activities and much of the existing news and information dissemination is not likely to be impacted, including our successful social media efforts," he said. "However, it is important in this constrained fiscal environment to pause and assess how the money is being spent on a wide variety of outreach activities, many of which are funded by independent projects and programs. We are not canceling anything yet. We are being financially responsible by pausing long enough to review activities before they go forward."

posted 03-23-2013 02:25 PM               

The Sequester's recent cuts on NASA's spending in public outreach and its STEM programs must not be allowed. These cuts would end the many programs NASA has for educating the children of our society, as well as many other forms of public outreach held by NASA.

posted 03-23-2013 03:32 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
Cutting NASA is not a solution. You could shut down the entire agency and it wouldn't make a difference to the larger issue.

These cuts are unnecessary and accomplish nothing, other than weakening the U.S. space program and its ability to effectively accomplish its charter.

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posted 03-23-2013 03:45 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by GoesTo11:
Every agency and bureaucracy that cries "sequestration!" is targeting its "cuts" for maximum visibility...

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posted 03-23-2013 03:49 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by GoesTo11:
Every agency and bureaucracy that cries "sequestration!" is targeting its "cuts" for maximum visibility and public impact, rather than actually prioritizing spending or reorganizing for greater efficiency. That's how government here works... or doesn't.

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posted 03-23-2013 06:25 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
Cutting NASA is not a solution. You could shut down the entire agency and it wouldn't make a difference to the larger issue.

These cuts are unnecessary and accomplish nothing, other than weakening the U.S. space program and its ability to effectively accomplish its charter.

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While I agree with you in principle, Robert, the question is: What programs can you cut that (1) will make a difference in the larger issue, and (2) don't have their share of vehement supporters?

Whenever I have the "government spending" discussion with someone, I always ask, "What is YOUR favorite government program? Perhaps national parks are important to you, or Social Security, or NASA ... regardless, are you willing to cut 1%, 2%, 5%, or more from YOUR favorite program?"

If the answer to that question is "no," then we will never balance the budget.

That having been said, some will say, "Why balance the budget? As long as the budget is less than XX% of GDP, then a deficit is ok and perhaps even good". I disagree with this philosophy, primarily because what happens is: government spending grows and grows when the economy rapidly expands (ie, 1990's) ... when the inevitable economic correction occurs, government spending does not contract with it and the national debt grows exponentially and to unsustainable levels. At the current growth rate of the debt, as interest rates rise programs will have to be cut just so we can pay the interest on the debt.

Some have equated sequestration with the austerity programs in Europe, and they say "look how badly the austerity programs have worked!" Problem is, the austerity programs became necessary BECAUSE of the out-of-control government spending that preceded them.

Finally, sequestration did not cause NASA outreach programs to be cancelled. NASA managers have some discretion (as do other government managers) within each "program, project, and activity" to make the cuts, and they have been given guidelines from OMB on how to prioritize.

posted 03-23-2013 06:46 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by SpaceAholic:
I hope there is a recommendation provided on where the cuts should come from as an alternative. The US cant keep spending itself into oblivion.

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How about Welfare to start? Too many people have turned it into a lifestyle instead of the temporary helping hand it was meant to be.

posted 03-24-2013 05:26 PM              

quote:

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Originally posted by GoesTo11:
As Robert noted, this is a far bigger issue than NASA, and I don't wish to drive this discussion afield... but... I realize that the last four years have shown us that this Administration is...

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posted 03-24-2013 06:26 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by GoesTo11:
As Robert noted...

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posted 03-24-2013 06:33 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by canyon42:
Do I now get to hammer my U.S. Congressman as well, a certain gentleman from Ohio with the initials JB?

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Hammer away, if you're so inclined. There's plenty of blame to go around. But asking to confine this discussion to NASA sort of tries to skirt the fact that this is a political issue, and as a previous poster said, sequestration is a manufactured "crisis."

In any event, I've said what I have to say...I won't be fueling any flame war on the subject here, not that Robert would tolerate it regardless.

posted 03-30-2013 03:19 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Cozmosis22:
many people think that NASA is done

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Yes, there was a brief period in summer 2011 when much was made of the shuttle program ending, but since then public interest in NASA's other activities has consistently trended upwards. In fact, interest in the International Space Station — based on social media trends and national news coverage — has grown since the space shuttle was retired in July 2011.

posted 04-02-2013 08:03 PM               

Second (and related), whenever the subject of space comes up in conversation with friends, family, or colleagues I'm STILL, in 2013, absolutely bereft at the chasm between their perception of how much of the federal budget NASA actually consumes and the reality. In these conversations, my objective is not to, say, get them to follow Curiousity on Twitter (But if they do, great!). It's simply to get across that we're not going broke because of NASA, we don't spend as much as you think on space, and in any case the benefits we accrue from such endeavors are both real and societally uplifting. If I can get that much across in conversation, I've done at least a small part.

posted 04-04-2013 11:48 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by GoesTo11:
I'm STILL, in 2013, absolutely bereft at the chasm between their perception of how much of the federal budget NASA actually consumes and the reality.

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posted 04-04-2013 09:18 PM               

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Originally posted by Hart Sastrowardoyo:
If you tell people NASA's budget is so many millions or billions of dollars, those people will think too much money is spent on NASA...

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posted 04-10-2013 10:43 AM               

The President places a high priority on STEM education and has set ambitious goals of generating 100,000 new effective STEM teachers and one million more STEM graduates. In order to improve STEM education outcomes and achieve these goals, the Budget includes a bold reorganization of Federal STEM programs that uses existing resources more effectively and in a more streamlined, consolidated way.

The Budget redirects $47.5 million of funding from small NASA education programs throughout the agency to other agencies where these funds will be consolidated with similar resources from across the Federal Government. NASA retains $67.5 million for high-performing existing programs, and an additional $26.8 million from other education and outreach programs previously distributed throughout the agency's mission directorates.

NASA's assets will be used more effectively through coordination with the National Science Foundation, the Department of Education, and the Smithsonian Institution to achieve the Administration's wider STEM education goals.

posted 04-10-2013 11:46 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Hart Sastrowardoyo:
Tell them it is only one half of one percent or whatever it is, and those people will think it is just the right amount of money.

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