Griffin Urges Troops To Follow The New Leader

The Obama Administration never gave NASA Administrator Mike Griffin a clue about the direction it aims to take the nation's space program, but the outgoing agency chief told troops today to soldier on and work collaboratively on whatever course new leadership charts.

In what amounted to a farewell address, Griffin also said his proudest accomplishment during his four-year tenure was shepherding the agency through its difficult recovery from the 2003 Columbia accident, which killed seven astronauts.

"Well, I think the way we were able to pick ourselves up after Columbia and find technically solid ways to return the shuttle to flight," Griffin said.

"That sure was hard. And to get on with finishing up the (International Space Station), keeping our commitments to do that -- we've picked ourselves up by our bootstraps, put first-class managers in place...and moved forward," he said.

"And nothing -- nothing in the world -- is harder than picking yourself up after a cataclysm like that, and moving forward and we've done it. And I'm proud of us all for having done so without losing and without breaking some of the things that were going well."

Griffin took the helm of NASA in April 2005 and help draw up the architecture for Project Constellation, which aims to return American astronauts to the moon by 2020. His resignation -- like those of all other Bush Administration political appointees -- is effective at noon next Tuesday.

Griffin said the incoming administration has not hinted at what it might be planning for the space agency. But he told his troops to follow whatever new leader is put in place at NASA.

"We need that common spirit of being willing to put aside differences and collaborate toward a common goal. If we don't have it, the agency won't function. So as we come to a time of transition, what I want to ask of everybody who supported me, and those who didn't, is try to find common ground with the new leadership -- whatever that is, whoever that is, and whatever it is you are asked to do as an agency," he said.

"I will remind everybody again: federal executive agencies in a democracy do not make policy.In fact it would be a dangerous lapse in government if we did. It's nice when we are asked our opinions on what policy ought to be, but we don't make policy we carry it out. Policy is determined by elected and appointed officials in the executive branch, and elected officials in the legislative branch. Those two groups have to work together to hammer out some kind of a common set of directions to the executive branch agencies and then we should strive to do our best to carry it out whatever it is," he said.

"NASA will look great whether we're asked to return to the moon and establish permenant presence there and go to Mars, which I think we ought to be asked to do. Or whether we are asked to carry out some other task. We as an agency will look great if we put our efforts behind carrying out that task -- whatever the task is that we're asked to do -- with all of the spirit and the technical acumen that I know we as an agency can bring to that task," he said.

"So in a time of transition, it's important to remember that Job One at an executive branch agency and especially at NASA where we do carry out great enterprises, Job One is to cooperate, to cooperate with carrying them out and support whoever is next appointed to be the leader of the enterprise. If you do that, that person will look good and the agency will look good and it's a win-win. If you can't support the agency then the proper thing to do is leave," he said.

"There are many different things that you could do with a $17.5 billion NASA civil space program. You could do a lot of different things and they would probably all be good. But what we can't do is squabble and fight, you know, in the famous phrase, circle the wagons and shoot inward," he said.

"We can't do that and produce any result. Our job is to produce the results that our legislators and elected officials ask us to produce, so I ask you to do that for the next head of the agency as well as you've done that for me, and not for me, but in following our enabling legislation while I've been here. I thank you again for doing it."