NASA: Outdated infrastructure and tough choices ahead

Science: The next few years are likely to be critical for NASA, according to a hard-hitting report from the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The report, released last month, is called “NASA at a Crossroads: Maintaining Workforce, Infrastructure, and Technology Superiority in the Decades to Come.” And the title was chosen thoughtfully. “I think the conclusion of all of this is that it’s not time for NASA to be doing business as usual,” said Norm Augustine, the committee’s chairman and former Lockheed Martin CEO, during a webinar on September 10. “The concerns it faces have persisted for decades,” Augustine said. “In our view, NASA is truly at a crossroads, and that’s why we put that word in the title.” The report identifies aging infrastructure, pressure to prioritize short-term objectives, budget mismatches, inefficient management practices, and non-strategic reliance on commercial partners as the main issues.

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The report also argues that NASA should rebalance its priorities and increase investment in its facilities, specialist workforce and the development of cutting-edge technology, “even if that means putting off the launch of new missions.”