Contractor Conversion Flaws Arise At NASA (Update)
NASA Watch • • science
Key Points:
- There is growing concern at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) about a perceived rush to convert contractor roles to civil servant positions, which is causing confusion and frustration among employees.
- A key issue involves waiving education requirements for civil servant conversions to retain experienced personnel, but in practice, many long-serving engineers without college degrees are being excluded from conversion.
- At the Launch Equipment Test Facility (LETF), younger contractor engineers with degrees were converted to civil servants, while older, experienced engineers without degrees were laid off, resulting in a loss of valuable institutional knowledge.
- NASA's communication on this issue appears inconsistent and unclear, as highlighted by Keith’s note and the lack of direct engagement from NASA’s Public Affairs Office.
- The NASA Administrator responded publicly on Twitter, but concerns remain that the full situation is not being effectively conveyed to affected KSC employees.
