Brian McDonald on LinkedIn: This wins the award for most accurate meme of the week... (2024)

It was a long, crazy, roller-coaster of a week in spaceflight. I was in DC with other leaders of the Moon to Mars Program to talk about the path to Artemis II - the first crewed mission to the Moon in over 50 years. If you've paid attention, then you know that we have some difficult technical issues to solve to ensure that our crew stays safe during the mission. Two-and-a-half long days of intense discussion about the issues, plans and schedules and costs for resolution, and most importantly - how to balance urgency and pressure to perform with a need for doing things right and not taking unnecessary, uneducated risks.In the midst of these briefings, we got to celebrate as Boeing finally got Suni and Butch off the ground with the crewed test flight of Starliner. Then we took time out to watch Starship flight 4, cheer for the awesome launch and soft splashdown of the booster, and then be amazed at the video of Ship's reentry - the plasma eating the forward control surface, but it hanging on and making it back to the Indian Ocean. On rendezvous day, Kevin Metrocavage (an old friend from early in my career) let me watch some of the ops from the ISS Spacecraft Ops Center. It was a nostalgic moment to sit with my old friend and listen to former colleagues at multiple positions in both the ISS and Starliner flight control rooms handle the issues with aplomb and professionalism.It was a great end to a long week. A stark reminder that yes, spaceflight is hard. But at the end, we get to help write history. To be the person "in the arena". So big congratulations to everyone at SpaceX, Boeing, and NASA that helped make dreams into reality.Ad Astra!

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A peek behind the scenes at some of the results of NASA's "lessons learned" process, examining not only how the hardware performed during the mission, but also how well the organization did as we prepared for the first flight of Orion, SLS, and EGS. All of this introspection is key to ensuring continuous improvement - that we understand the technical and organizational drivers that impact mission safety.A huge thanks to Janet Karika for her service, and best wishes in retirement. Wish I could be there on Thursday! https://lnkd.in/gywcBXMm

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The average person on the street has no idea what NASA's budget is nor just how much we do with what we get.NASA's *annual* budget is about the same as the *quarterly profit* of ExxonMobil. Apple's quarterly profit is about 175% of our annual budget. Apple's annual profits are almost 7 times the NASA budget. Not their revenues - PROFIT.Now, make no mistake - $25 billion is a lot of money. And if you wonder what we do with it all, take a look at the latest SpinOff report. Everything from advances in medicine that lead to better quality of life to Earth science to better care for the planet to coordinating global search and rescue capabilities to make everyone safer.#YourTaxMoneyAtWork #ItsAboutLifeDownHere

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For those of us that are a certain age, we remember exactly where we were on that fateful day in 1986. As most know, the cold temperatures in Florida on that fateful day led to the Challenger explosion during ascent. What many may not have heard is how a brave group of engineers tried, in vain, to stop the launch. They still carry that burden, almost 40 years later.As an engineer that "grew up" working human spaceflight missions in MCC, I can't imagine how these men felt. Data in hand, arguing for safety of the crew, only to be ignored. It was, unfortunately, not the last time America lost a Shuttle crew.This time of year, I think about those men and women that we've lost, and about the toll that these accidents have taken on their families and those who have made it their life's work to keep the US preeminent in human spaceflight. I didn't know the crews of Challenger or Columbia personally, but like many in this profession, thinking about what happened and how it could have been prevented brings a tear to my eye.I now find myself in a position where I've signed certificates of flight readiness, and overseen the work required to safely put men and women in orbit. Looking forward to Artemis II, it becomes even more personal. Reid Wiseman, mission commander, is a friend and neighbor. If I don't do everything I can to make sure he and his crew are taking a smart, manageable risks, I'm not sure I could look at myself in the mirror - much less face his daughters. Many people deride NASA or complain when launch delays are announced. As our Program Manager, Amit Kshatriya, said - for Artemis II, we have 4 priorities. They are Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy. We will only launch when we are ready. We owe it to them, and to the memories of those who've gone before.#FoundationsofFlightControl #vigilancehttps://lnkd.in/g_TzQWv7

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What does football have to do with the space business?Well, besides being big business itself, the lesson here is that people - even legends - eventually move on. Does your organization have bench strength? And what are you as a leader doing to develop your people into the next legend?One thing I learned from a former boss was that our people need developmental experiences - tasks, jobs, training. And they should be evaluated on both their performance as well as their potential. Both must be cultivated.

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With the formulation of the Moon 2 Mars Program, my title has changed to M2M SE&I COO at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

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If any recent grads are interested in a position with NASA at the Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville, AL, here's a great opportunity.

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While Jason's post is spot on in so many ways, just a couple of additional thoughts.Yes - human spaceflight is hard. Some would say expensive (though NASA's annual budget is much less than some Fortune 500 companies' annual profits).NASA and our industry partners continue to push the envelope where it makes sense to do so. We're working to bring new technologies on-line and expand capabilities. That kind of development takes time and money, especially in an environment where lives are at stake. But consider the studies that talk about our nation's return on investment from NASA. Some estimates are as high as a $7 return for every $1 spent - I'm happy with 700% ROI!Further studies have looked at the impact of NASA spending to the local economy, also. The ripple effect of engineers spending their salaries at local businesses is significant. Just look at what happened after the Shuttle Program ended to those cities when those suppliers lost that business...And then there's the ROI that can't easily be measured.As we strive to enable and enlarge the industrial base and "space economy", return to the Moon and learn to live there, and strive to send humans to Mars, it's especially important to understand the effects of that inspiration. There are countries that have signed the Artemis Accords for many reasons. Some of them are traditional allies and partners with space-based priorities and capabilities that they wish to further for their own economy. Others are non-traditional but want to develop capabilities for themselves. Still others look to the US and Artemis as a way to give their people hope in a better future.However you measure it, NASA was founded to enable the peaceful exploration of space. We go for the benefit of all humankind.

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