Democratic Lawmakers Call for IG Investigation into Goddard Changes

Democratic members of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee are calling on NASA’s Inspector General to investigate what is happening at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Over the past two months, including during the government shutdown, laboratories and other facilities were suddenly closed or relocated even though some are needed for programs like the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope that is nearing completion.  They want the NASA IG to find out why and the implications for Goddard’s ability to execute its responsibilities.

Yesterday’s letter to the NASA IG follows an earlier letter to NASA from Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren and another from the House and Senate Democratic members of Maryland’s congressional delegation. They are seeking answers to concerns raised by Goddard employees and the Goddard Engineers, Scientists and Technicians Association (GESTA), part of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) labor union.

Yesterday’s letter is signed by all but one of the Democratic members of House SS&T. Rep. Laura Gillen (D-NY), a member of the Space and Aeronautics subcommittee, is the only committee Democrat who didn’t sign. Her office did not respond to a SpacePolicyOnline.com request for comment as to why.

Goddard’s main campus is in Greenbelt, MD, just outside Washington, DC.  Goddard also manages Wallops Flight Facility at Wallops Island, VA, and the Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) Facility in Fairmont, WV.

The signatories say they are “deeply concerned” that NASA’s actions in abruptly closing laboratories and other facilities “may be inflicting long-term damage” on Goddard and its ability to “carry out the responsibilities that have been given to it by Congress.”

In particular they are worried about the impact on the Roman Space Telescope that is close to completion and the Dragonfly mission in development that will explore Saturn’s moon Titan. A propulsion laboratory in Building 11 needed for both programs and a clean room needed for Roman are among those suddenly closed.  “Highly sensitive equipment” was moved before personnel from the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance arrived to supervise the activity even though management told employees that wouldn’t happen until engineers were on site to advise on how to handle the equipment. A promised temporary cleanroom wasn’t ready on the day of the move and hardware was placed “in a non-clean area of a heavily trafficked building, where it remains to this day.”

“The mission-critical propulsion laboratory and cleanroom of Building 11 now sit empty without appropriate replacement facilities in place, introducing completely unnecessary cost, schedule, and risk factors for Roman and Dragonfly that could have been avoided or mitigated if the agency had acted with due caution, care, and patience. These actions may well end Goddard’s ability to build propulsion systems for NASA science missions.”

The letter asks the NASA IG to conduct an audit of NASA’s management of Goddard and the decision-making process that led to these sudden changes.  Acknowledging NASA created a 20-year Master Plan for Goddard for 2017-2037 to establish a “sustainable and coherent vision for the future,” the committee members assert what is happening now is “not prudent, thoughtful, in good faith, or rational.”

NASA pushed back on Lofgren’s original letter, saying the idea that “Goddard is being shut down or dismantled … could not be further from the truth” and citing the Master Plan as the explanation for what is happening at the Center right now.