10 Mike Griffin Quotes: The NASA Administrator Talks Turkey

Written on August 9, 2007 by Apogee

NASA Administrator Mike Griffin has a reputation for straight talk, and at the STS-118 post launch press conference, he did not disappoint. After praising the ground support personnel for their efforts, Griffin took questions from the media. Here are some of his more memorable responses.

On public interest in NASA:

People in America, and indeed people around the world, like NASA and like what we do. They like the idea of an agency that takes on what other people dream about and accomplishes it … We surely are not perfect and we know it every day. But it’s not a business that allows you to be much less than perfect and still get by.

This is where I have what we call a cognitive disconnect. I find spaceflight to be so interesting that I can’t imagine people don’t turn on the TV when we’re doing something in space.

The station’s Columbus module will provide … a capability that people have dreamed about for decades, and we’re within months of having it. I guess if you don’t find that exciting, then maybe turn and watch “Desperate Housewives” or something.

On allegations of astronauts drinking before flight:

The crew spent most of the day on TV. I would defy anyone to find an opportunity they had to do any drinking from the time they woke up this morning. I mean, they would have had to really want a drink and hide it really well, because from the time they woke up they’ve been with other people.

On NASA’s public image:

The public image that I want people to have of NASA is that when something unpleasant comes up, we take it on head-on, we deal with it, we resolve it, and we do it in the open, and we tell you how it came out. And we do it without any spin, or without any fluff.

On future space station research programs:

What are people going to find out when they do the research? I have no idea. If we thought we knew what we were going to find out when they did the research, we wouldn’t need to do it.

On dealing with dissenting opinions:

In science and engineering, we don’t suppress dissenting opinion, we value it. We evaluate it, we treat it with respect, because we only make progress in technical disciplines by listening to everything people have to say … getting differing views and making every effort to determine what’s correct.

The history of science … and great engineering projects is written in failures and false impressions. The growth of intellectual rigor and intellectual thought in Western civilization is a history of replacing failed ideas with better ideas.

On dealing with disputes:

The right to express an opinion, the right to a hearing, the right to a thoughtful evaluation of one’s ideas, is not the right to an agreement. Any dispute that reaches me or any of my colleagues will have at least two people who hold differing views, and often more. It is impossible to render a decision that will make both of those people happy. At least one person must go away from a dispute feeling like he or she lost. That is irresolvable. If that person goes away from a dispute feeling that they lost, and then says, “My opinion wasn’t respected,” my reaction is “Grow up.” … To rule in a decision against somebody who’s opinion you have heard and carefully evaluated … is not to disrespect them. It is to recognize that a choice must be made, and we move on.

On mothballing the shuttle program until Orion goes online:

In order to put crew on the space station between the end of 2010 and … 2015, we will be buying rides from the Russians with their transportation system. Now that’s a concern on several levels. First of all, it’s money that we’re not spending on the U.S. aerospace establishment. Second of all, it means that the world’s space transportation system is down to one vehicle, and that vehicle could have an accident, has had accidents. Third, frankly … I find it unseemly for the United States to be dependent in a core strategic capability upon other nations, even if they are partners. It’s unseemly.

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