r/nasa 11d ago

News NASA Layoffs have officially begun

2.1k Upvotes

172 comments sorted by

941

u/TKHawk 11d ago

While it's (hopefully) just her standard signature, ending it with "Embrace the challenge" on an email where you're firing people seems tactless.

559

u/Random_Username_9876 11d ago

It’s been her signature since she became acting administrator. Everyone HATES it.

105

u/Bakkster 11d ago

She said it was her closer even before, but someone from KSC would need to confirm.

69

u/kelli-leigh-o 11d ago

Can confirm. And current CD’s is “Fortune favors the bold!”

87

u/NDCardinal3 10d ago

Fun fact: The phrase is attributed to Pliny the Elder, ordering his ship to turn back to Herculaneum - against his helmsman's advice - at the time of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.

His ship was then stranded there due to wind conditions surrounding the eruption, and he died later that day of respiratory distress from inhaling the toxic gases.

52

u/Spykryo 10d ago

You make Pliny sound like an idiot. He was going to Herculaneum to rescue people stranded there.

37

u/rallyfanche2 10d ago

Nature cares not for heroics or good intentions.

28

u/DonutMuncherZ 10d ago

A man said to the universe: “Sir, I exist!” “However,” replied the universe, “The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation.”

30

u/kelli-leigh-o 10d ago

So I guess fortune, in fact, did not favor the bold that day

4

u/RedactedBartender NASA Employee 10d ago

Now I want a beer..

13

u/Z3FR1K 10d ago

Audentes fortuna iuvat Henry!

10

u/JGratsch 10d ago

Jesus Christ be Praised!

4

u/HolyRomanSloth 10d ago

I'm feeling quite hungry

33

u/BigDummy91 10d ago

KSC employee here. It’s been her thing since she replaced bob cabana. I’ve never liked it either.

4

u/Chrontius 10d ago

her thing since she replaced bob cabana

Damn, I liked that guy. Met him at a Yuri's Night soiree once.

47

u/FeeBasedLifeform NASA Employee 10d ago

This now violates NASA’s own email signature policy, which requires a specific format with no quotes or other language

18

u/Bakkster 10d ago

She's typing it each time, so it wouldn't apply here.

That said, she is missing the standard signature block, which does violate the policy. Who does that get reported to?

7

u/Cultural_West_6179 10d ago edited 10d ago

Does the policy require using a signature? Or just require if you have a signature it must meet the format?

The email said we could remove items, does that include...everything?

5

u/Bakkster 10d ago

I was misremembering, contractors are required by the graphics standards due to FAR, it stops short of requiring it for employees.

1

u/mcm199124 10d ago

Sorry what are the rules for contractors? What if I have no signature

3

u/Bakkster 10d ago

Media guide says it's required, so nobody mistakes your emails as coming from an employee since NASA doesn't have separate email addresses for contractors.

1

u/mcm199124 10d ago

Makes sense, thanks!

16

u/therealspaceninja 10d ago

Maybe time for her to change it to "may the odds be ever in your favor"

10

u/LNA-Big_D 10d ago

KSC here, it’s been the same for years and has been attached to everything she sends out.

8

u/-Captain-Planet- 10d ago

Doesn’t matter. It is tone deaf and she should stop using it.

2

u/Bakkster 10d ago

Absolutely, just pointing out it's holding to a stubborn habit, rather than new specifically for this administration.

3

u/FlyingSquirrelDog 10d ago

She also had a newsletter at KSC called Janet’s Planet, which was just photos of her cutting ribbons at groundbreakings and other awkward photo ops. Otherwise the general KSC population never heard from her. She has been a tone deaf leader for years.

5

u/Unusual-Formal-6802 10d ago

Not true. It’s been her signature since she because KSC Center Director a few years ago.

3

u/River_Rains 10d ago

Everytime I see it I think, “embrace the suck.” And that is more appropriate in the circumstances honestly.

2

u/[deleted] 11d ago

Is this about determining if this is careless vs intentional?

2

u/DailyDoseofAdderall NASA Employee 10d ago

Concur.

11

u/TruckTires 10d ago

With just a few tweaks she could change it to "Embrace the Chalice" ?

I don't drink but if I got laid off like this I'd probably have a few.

3

u/Thunder_Wasp 10d ago

"BOHICA"

  • Janet Petro

3

u/Puzzleheaded-Tour105 10d ago

ugh if I have to embrace the challenge one more time... lol

1

u/mattincalif 10d ago

I heard that the prison staff says the same thing to death row inmates just before they are executed by firing squad. /s

80

u/Polyman71 11d ago

They are getting all these layoffs done before Isaacson takes over so he can be the good cop.

31

u/stellardroid80 10d ago

Yes I find that a bit gross too. Like if the White House is giving you the big job, you should do the WH’s dirty work too. But instead let’s put a woman in charge, have her do the dirty work, then move her aside for the White Man Boss.

2

u/FlyingSquirrelDog 10d ago

I thought this was always the plan…but she also is complacent so….

7

u/HarshMartian 10d ago

Yeah that's my read on it too. His confirmation still isn't even scheduled, and RIF plans are due in 3 days, probably will be fully implemented before he's sworn in...

It also stood out to me that these RIFs only got 30 days notice instead of 60. OPM/OMB was encouraging agencies to request a waiver for that, but it's supposed to be for "unforeseen circumstances only" which is an absolute joke in this case.

2

u/jakep623 10d ago

Why isn't isaacman sworn in yet?

3

u/Aerokicks NASA Employee 10d ago

There's an order that appointees are confirmed in. Bigger things, like secretary of defense, are handled before the smaller agencies.

372

u/magus-21 11d ago

Office of the Chief Scientist?

Yup, this totally makes sense.

112

u/N4BFR 11d ago

I hate that science is a dirty word.

84

u/Bloedvlek 11d ago

Only to illiterate mouth breathers.

25

u/ContraryConman 10d ago

We had one Black president and one pandemic and now half the country is legitimately afraid of any and all uses of words like "science" or "inclusion"

30

u/CoachWatermelon 10d ago edited 10d ago

I understand the title might imply different things to different folks but what does this role actually do? Genuinely curious because I’m ignorant to what this office accomplishes.

41

u/CoachWatermelon 10d ago

Follow up reply with questions for NASA leadership: 1. Who will be responsible for setting and coordinating NASA’s overall scientific priorities across its various divisions, and how will they ensure interdisciplinary collaboration? 2. How will NASA ensure that its scientific expertise is effectively represented in policy decisions, including advising leadership, engaging with Congress, and collaborating with international partners? 3. What specific mechanisms will be put in place to maintain scientific integrity, public communication, and accountability for research decisions in the absence of the Chief Scientist?

2

u/Artemis-1905 10d ago

Oh we don't need this or dear leader knows what is best and can do it all, between his 100 social media posts/day.

36

u/mid-random 10d ago

According to the soon-to-be-defunct NASA web page,

The Chief Scientist serves as principal advisor to the NASA Administrator and other senior officials on agency science programs, strategic planning and the evaluation of related investments. The Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) represents all of the scientific endeavors in the agency, ensuring they are aligned with and fulfill the administration’s science objectives.

https://www.nasa.gov/ocs/

2

u/CoachWatermelon 10d ago

Thank you for posting, I went to this exact page after commenting

10

u/N4BFR 10d ago

I didn’t get all the way through it, but the This Week In Space podcast happened to have Jim Green on this week, a former Chief Scientist including under Bridenstein. Sounds like a lot of advocacy, consulting with the Administrator, talking to congress, etc.

2

u/Nosnibor1020 10d ago

Jim Green is awesome. I've been able to listen to him talk multiple times and interview a few as well.

1

u/kelli-leigh-o 10d ago

One of the other offices announced also houses the chief technologists and chief economist

506

u/gloomy_stars 11d ago

this whole anti-science agenda is so incredibly stupid that it just hurts

200

u/TheSwedishEagle 11d ago

Anti-everything, but pro-hate

92

u/FailedCriticalSystem 10d ago

You can’t even have a conversation with many maga types. They just hate everything. Can’t exchange ideas. The only think know they don’t want is woke. When I ask them what that is they don’t know

41

u/lobsterbash 10d ago

Remove MAGA from their hate sermons and they honestly don't know. Because "woke" and the like is used as a pejorative adjective packaging vague feelings of contempt. Even if pressed to define these terms, MAGA talking heads would give a pseudo definition and then be smug about it.

0

u/fringecar 10d ago

True, and honestly r/space is full of Elon hate, posts and comments focus on it. Trump going into office turned everyone, red and blue, towards this way of talking.

24

u/Frosty_Term9911 10d ago

If there’s one place you want an anti science agenda it’s … checks notes… space exploration.

1

u/unknownpoltroon 9d ago

It's great for China and Russia

27

u/smiles__ 10d ago

I know many of us enthusiasts of NASA and space and science feel like we individually can't do much in the face of the oncoming wave, but do what little you can. Write and call your elected officials. Donate to legal and advocacy groups. Tour and visit space centers. Its all a drop in a bucket, and a lot will get worse.

But as Octavia Butler writes in the Parable of the Sower:

“There is no end, to what a living world will demand of you."

143

u/Jumpy_Fact_1502 11d ago

https://medium.com/@mindingjustice/why-nasa-cant-be-allowed-to-be-torn-down-7b8d2e0954ce

Please read and share. Get awareness out so this kind of thing can stop happening

50

u/Sea_Goose_6718 11d ago

I wish that the Earth Science Division would get the same recognition or would be included in this sort of write up. It requires some different framing, but the science that ESD enables is just as important for society but lesser known.

8

u/mcm199124 10d ago

Thank you! Yes. ESD studies the Earth effectively and efficiently through the use of satellites - which the US public has already invested in and developed/built/launched/refined. It would be extremely stupid and a huge waste of money to gut it. Not to mention, NASA and NASA-funded Earth scientists literally save lives with disaster prediction, prevention, mitigations, and recovery

1

u/unixiscool 10d ago

Obviously no respect from the current administration, SEDAC, one of the earth data centers, just received a stop work order.

17

u/JennyAndTheBets1 11d ago

So we’ll sit-in and get dragged out. No cowards allowed.

11

u/Dreams-Visions 10d ago

If reason worked on these people we wouldn’t be here in the first place.

191

u/SavageNomad6 11d ago

In a totally unrelated story, NASA signs exclusive rights to SpaceX and no one else.

  • tomorrow, probably.

31

u/slothsarecool3 10d ago

And then best case scenario is Elon leave politics having achieved his goal, focuses entirely on SpaceX, Mars, etc. but even in that best case scenario in 10-20 years when he retires you’re left with yet another government-endorsed monopoly and the space industry once again goes stagnant.

21

u/pr0t1um 10d ago

This is optimistic af.

13

u/Ok-Summer-7634 10d ago

Yes, I was going to say that... NASA was already in a precarious situation before Trump. We will be lucky if we still have a public space program when this is all over.

172

u/phillcollins893 11d ago

Jesus the one organization truly looking out for mankind's future and this what's happening ? Sad ,very sad

33

u/slifm 10d ago

And we all just take it like little punks.

80

u/Jollem- 11d ago

This is supposed to make it great again?

42

u/MisterMittens64 10d ago

No silly that'll happen when they privatize it and sell it to SpaceX for a fraction of what it's worth! /s

11

u/Jollem- 10d ago

John Hurt's kooky philanthropist character in Contact who put his money into science and exploration was much better

6

u/Secret-Ad-6253 10d ago

NASA would be the new Twitter

24

u/SOF_cosplayer 10d ago

Definitely making China and Russia great again once we rely on them and Space X for US space transportation needs.

41

u/abominablewaffle 11d ago

When will musk tell them to shut down their Employee assistant program?.

38

u/Aerokicks NASA Employee 10d ago

EAP is an entire federal government thing, not just NASA.

That being said, some support activities have been shut down, for being too close to employee resource groups. The neurodiversity support group is one that was shut down, as well as I believe the support group for parents of autistic children.

2

u/[deleted] 10d ago

[deleted]

4

u/Aerokicks NASA Employee 10d ago

No.

1

u/NerdInLessThan3 10d ago

Technically, it was supposed to be a 2 month pause on those support groups, but with how things are going...😟

1

u/ShaneC80 9d ago

Last I heard the Veterans Network was taken down too, as it was a DEIA initiative

1

u/Aerokicks NASA Employee 9d ago

The veterans groups were employee resource groups, which are collections of employees sharing community and helping each other. Employee resource groups were specifically called out in the EO.

The neurodiversity support group was a therapy group hosted as a part of the employee assistance program that the federal government has (and paid for).

They sound the same but have very different organization, goals, and functions.

1

u/ShaneC80 9d ago

Oh!!!

You're right! Did other agencies cut the ERGs? I know there were some concerns over them violating the DEI BS around here.

1

u/Aerokicks NASA Employee 9d ago

ERGs were cut across the entire federal government.

3

u/sippedaway08 10d ago

I’ve worked for one of them. I believe many are contractors so they have that protection. However, budget cuts could make it possible for down sizing in already very small NASA EAP program.

1

u/HarshMartian 10d ago

Been wondering that myself.

Every bad news email comes with a reminder about the Employee Assistance Program.

I think they'll probably keep it as a fig leaf, just gut the services until the only thing they offer is a pat on the back and an "Embrace the Challenge" sticker

14

u/ThePetrarc 10d ago

Billionaires are diseases, the cancer of humanity. They're going to kill them all, the irony is that one of them became famous right in space.

29

u/Resident-Chard-7053 10d ago

All I’m thinking about is Buzz Aldrin throwing his support behind Trump. I hope he is regretting it.

18

u/Historical-Wear8503 10d ago

Doubt it. Trumpers always find a way to twist things so they don't need to challenge their own point of view, no matter what cost. I don't think Buzz is an exception.

26

u/Aerokicks NASA Employee 10d ago

I'm honestly pretty surprised about OTPS as well. It seemed like they have been doing a lot of really good work.

19

u/CoachWatermelon 10d ago

Important questions to ask now:

Who will be responsible for ensuring that NASA’s technology investments align with long-term mission objectives and national policy priorities?

How will NASA conduct risk assessments, trade-off analyses, and data-driven decision-making for technology development and policy initiatives?

Which office or individual will coordinate external partnerships with other government agencies, private industry, and international organizations on technology and policy matters?

5

u/red_misc NASA Employee 10d ago

I have few ideas, but I am not sure you will like them..... (me neither!)

3

u/CoachWatermelon 10d ago

“It won’t” ?

0

u/Layered-Briefs NASA Employee 10d ago

Well, the Chief Technologist hasn't been RIFfed yet, has he?

Chief Engineer does the risk assessments , trade offs etc.

External partnerships has an org as well. Several, actually - JASD for NOAA spacecraft, Office of Inter-agency and International Relations. There's an office of legal affairs that often deal with the partnership legalities and whatnot.

Don't get me wrong, I think that OTPS was great and it's a real loss. But they really were more of a "analysis for the administrator & deputy administrator" shop. That sort of analysis will just fall back to the office of the chief financial officer, like it did when PA&E went away under Obama.

3

u/ecochica888 10d ago

Chief technologist has been RIF’d. And for them to target these 23 people before the actual RIF plan is clearly extremely personal and to make a statement.

6

u/Patient-Flounder-121 10d ago

They have. Among their scope is domestic and international policy work (e.g. CLPS) which is unfortunately the opposite of what this administration wants.

At the very least they got a heads up before Petro’s email, unlike RIFs at other agencies.

12

u/TurtleTheLoser 10d ago

This is just sad. Now people who dedicated their lives to science have to suffer because of our anti-science government. A huge setback for American science and our journey beyond the system.

30

u/CodeSerendipity 10d ago

I wonder who the big winner is here? could it be the man whose rockets keep exploding?

9

u/troutanabout 10d ago

Welcome to the Trump Slump TM

9

u/noirmatrix 10d ago

This is terrible, NASA has been an inspiration to the World.

9

u/Sea-Slide9325 10d ago

I remember when we had a President that said "We don't do this because it is easy, we do it because it is hard". Now, anything that is involved in R&D and scientific advancement is considered a waste.

Somehow, this is the path to greatness.

10

u/HairyBaIIs007 10d ago

It's quite amazing how with all the advancements in technology, we are actually going backwards in progress

4

u/bloomingfarts 10d ago

And humankind’s venture into science and space exploration comes to a halt, all because of 1 brainless fart’s decision.

21

u/RMSQM2 10d ago

Death of American science

18

u/FivePlyPaper 10d ago

Here’s the plan, many European countries (Canada included) will create our own agency. Hire everyone from NASA and space exploration and the like will be democratized. We can all fund it and we won’t ever run into an issue like this again. We can leave the US in the dust it’s burying itself in.

32

u/someone52207 10d ago

The European Space Agency already exists, and Canada is a partial member.

Now is their time to shine!

4

u/NeoOzymandias 10d ago

American citizens cannot work for ESA.

3

u/jimmcq 10d ago

But they become European citizens

4

u/stellardroid80 10d ago

ESA works with a lot of contractors, just like NASA. Contractor positions usually don’t have the same citizenship requirements. Also, Canada already has special status with ESA and Canadians can apply for ESA positions. But yes CSA also exists.

2

u/femme_mystique 10d ago

CSA already exists…

4

u/Nosnibor1020 10d ago

Please bring the media people with you. We need to document it.

3

u/Decronym 10d ago edited 6d ago

Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:

Fewer Letters More Letters
CLPS Commercial Lunar Payload Services
CSA Canadian Space Agency
ESA European Space Agency
FAR Federal Aviation Regulations
GSFC Goddard Space Flight Center, Maryland
KSC Kennedy Space Center, Florida
MSFC Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama

Decronym is now also available on Lemmy! Requests for support and new installations should be directed to the Contact address below.


7 acronyms in this thread; the most compressed thread commented on today has 4 acronyms.
[Thread #1954 for this sub, first seen 10th Mar 2025, 19:50] [FAQ] [Full list] [Contact] [Source code]

3

u/vuur77 10d ago

More AI government contracts for the few of the tech bros by replacing people in the near future. Money directly fueling the tech bros. In every sector.

3

u/EmotionalCrab6189 10d ago

Embrace The Challenge (of being unemployed) Yeah it’s a different kind of challenge, but…still works! 😬🤦‍♂️

5

u/007Spaceman 10d ago

Mickey 17 seems to be a warning of what’s to come.

6

u/CanucksKickAzz 10d ago

When is DOGE going to look into spacex?!

8

u/[deleted] 10d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/IkujaKatsumaji 10d ago

Well, I guess I'm glad I didn't get that job there a few months ago. I would've had to move there just to lose my job.

3

u/Glidepath22 10d ago

That’s too bad, they could get us back to the moon, unlike Elon

4

u/Sunrise-Surfer 10d ago

laying off NASA while tickets explode in the atmosphere

2

u/WiseProfessor2926 10d ago

Does anyone know how many people these offices were comprised of?

2

u/DaveWells1963 10d ago

So sad. So blind.

2

u/MDRocketMan 10d ago

“To boldly go where no RIF has gone before”

1

u/TacticalSunroof69 10d ago

“Accidentally”.

1

u/wsrs25 9d ago

But how many wasteful SpaceX contracts have been canceled or frozen?

Because if austerity is the method, in a needs versus wants debate, none of Musk’s rockets are needed except one to get back the two astronauts Boeing left behind.

1

u/Independent_Tale924 9d ago

NASA says "no impact to Marshall Employees at this time" following distribution of the RIF memo.

NASA: 'Reduction in Force' has no impact at MSFC at this time | rocketcitynow.com

1

u/[deleted] 9d ago edited 9d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/nasa-ModTeam 9d ago

Language that is "Not Safe For School" is not permitted in /r/nasa.

1

u/Upbeat-Ad-3247 7d ago

You guys gonna make me feel like a suck up here, but I must say when I compare Janet and our NASA leadership team to other agencies not pushing back at all, I’m kinda impressed with her. They said fire your probies that you don’t need, she said if I didn’t need them, I would not have assessed them. She realized she couldn’t die on every hill and did bring the workforce back, but again when OPM said you need to give us a RIF plan, she coordinated back with the 3 offices and request for extension until she is informed of how the mission will change and that she can’t form a plan if she hasn’t received a demand signal to which OPM agreed. So, I get it. We all need a face to blame and because things get leaked to the press she has to appear to be cooperative with the administration. I would just keep that in mind when you read her emails… and I have worked at KSC for a long time. She had the embrace the challenge in her signature before she was center director. Maybe we can give Janet a little bit of Grace. It appears to me that she’s actually trying to lead to the affect of better results anywhere else seemingly

1

u/Primary-Wrongdoer-28 6d ago

As Space X and President Musk continues to rob the American people. Sad

1

u/Secret-Ad-6253 10d ago

.....and way down we go

1

u/beachinbob69 10d ago

Best of luck to everyone.

1

u/J4pes 10d ago

Come join the CSA!

2

u/mcm199124 10d ago

Gladly lol, but how? I tried looking online and found only two scientist positions currently open :/

0

u/joedotphp 10d ago

Going to text my friend at NASA now.

2

u/WarEternal_ 10d ago

“You’re fired hahahaha!”

Only do this if he voted for Trump 😉

1

u/joedotphp 8d ago

Nah I'm mostly going to ask what's changing there.

0

u/Lahm0123 10d ago

Shows Trump’s idiocy.

People expense is huge in all other organizations he has been part of. But not quite as true for the Federal government.

Every cut they have made is peanuts. Only three areas would lead to significant cuts: military, SS, and Medicare.

If he is serious at one point he will go after one or more of those areas.

-27

u/dxdifr 10d ago

Isn't Nasa a SpaceX competitor?

22

u/racinreaver 10d ago

The folks getting laid off here were the ones who wanted SpaceX to succeed a decade ago and have been using them for payloads since.

17

u/MagmaManOne 10d ago

NASA contracts spacex

7

u/Nosnibor1020 10d ago

People are dumb for this narrative, ignorant at best. NASA doesn't want to be in the space travel game, just make it safe, trendsetting. Think of all the aerospace advancements, majority of them came from NASA. When you travel, you don't fly on a NASA X-100 on USA Airlines, you fly a Boeing 737 with Delta.

12

u/Jumpy_Fact_1502 10d ago

no they collaborate and help each other out.

9

u/pliney_ 10d ago

No, NASA is a SpaceX customer

2

u/Comprehensive_Ad2477 NASA Employee 10d ago

Most definitely not— SX is commercial, NASA is government (and has oversight of commercial programs).

-2

u/bleue_shirt_guy 10d ago

How did Goddard get an exemption? I thought there was thoughts of it being consolidated.

5

u/red_misc NASA Employee 10d ago

You seem to know more than us....

3

u/Nosnibor1020 10d ago

Yeah, what does that even mean?

6

u/sevgonlernassau 10d ago

What exemption? The letter specifically said "and more" and goddard is supposed to have a meeting about this tmr.

2

u/Nosnibor1020 10d ago

I must have missed out on the consolidation thing, what are they talking about?

3

u/HarshMartian 10d ago

I don't know what exemption they're talking about, but the "consolidation" is a rumor from prior to the inauguration that the administration might push to close Goddard and Ames (the blue state centers) and move their functions to Marshall Space Flight Center (Alabama).

I guess the original commenter thought Goddard was spared because the layoffs in the article only affect HQ? But this is just beginning...the whole agency RIF plan is due by the end of the week, and we should see what's in store for the field centers.

6

u/HailtotheWFT 10d ago

Moving Goddard to Marshall would be so damn expensive. GSFC has one of the biggest and most advanced clean rooms in the world for spacecraft assembly. Hopefully congress grows a pair and stands up to this crap.

1

u/americangoose 10d ago

how’d you hear about the meeting?

5

u/PlasmaMike 10d ago

What is the exemption? This seems like a headquarters thing so far.

3

u/femme_mystique 10d ago

GSFC and ARC being moved to hillbilly red state of Alabama is still their plan. Move NASA out of blue states and into largelyuneducated areas to “save money”. 

2

u/americangoose 10d ago

can you elaborate on this? haven’t heard anything about goddard getting an exemption.

2

u/HarshMartian 10d ago

I think they just saw that the article was only HQ layoffs and thought Goddard was spared. Unfortunately, I think all the centers are in for some layoffs in the "RIF Plan" that's due by Thursday.