'We need answers': Departure of NASA's human spaceflight chief raises alarm
Douglas Loverro下台正值一星期後美國太空人十年來第一次預備重往太空
Douglas Loverro stepped down a week before astronauts are set to launch from U.S. soil for the first time in a decade.
05/19/2020
The head of NASA’s human spaceflight office has resigned just one week before the agency plans to launch astronauts from American soil for the first time in nearly a decade, setting off alarm in Congress about how the turmoil might disrupt the historic mission.
Douglas Loverro had served as the associate administrator for the human exploration and operations mission directorate for just seven months. He said he was leaving the agency "with a very, very heavy heart" after making a "mistake" during his tenure, according to a letter to the workforce obtained by POLITICO.
"Throughout my long government career of over four and a half decades I have always found it to be true that we are sometimes, as leaders, called on to take risks," wrote Loverro, who previously worked at the super-secret National Reconnaissance Office, which builds and launches military satellites. "The risks we take, whether technical, political, or personal, all have potential consequences if we judge them incorrectly. I took such a risk earlier in the year because I judged it necessary to fulfill our mission. Now, over the balance of time, it is clear that I made a mistake in that choice for which I alone must bear the consequences. "
"My leaving is because of my personal actions, not anything we accomplished together," he continued.
While the agency officially announced Loverro's departure as a resignation, two industry officials told POLITICO that he was pushed out by NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.
But, reached by phone, Loverro insisted his departure is not due to a disagreement with Bridenstine or any safety concerns about next week’s launch. He also declined to offer specifics about his “mistake.”
Loverro took over the job in October after his predecessor, William Gerstenmaier, was demoted and eventually left the agency.
Bridenstine praised Loverro's work, saying in a note to staff obtained by POLITICO that he "has moved us closer to accomplishing our goal of landing the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024."
Top lawmakers demanded answers late Tuesday about Loverro's departure, especially since it occurred just eight days before the maiden voyage set for May 27 of two astronauts aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.
"I am deeply concerned over this sudden resignation, especially given its timing," Rep. Kendra Horn (D-Okla.), the chairwoman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee's space subcommittee, said in a statement. "Under this administration, we've seen a pattern of abrupt departures that have disrupted our nation's efforts at human space flight."
"The bottom line is that, as the committee that overseas NASA, we need answers," she concluded.
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, who chairs the science panel, was "shocked" by the development but said in a statement that "I trust that NASA Administrator Bridenstine will ensure that the right decision is made as to whether or not to delay the launch attempt."
"Beyond that, Mr. Loverro’s resignation is another troubling indication that the Artemis Moon-Mars initiative is still not on stable footing," she added. "I look forward to clarification from NASA as to the reasons for this latest personnel action.”
The journey next week to the International Space Station from Florida's Cape Canaveral will be the first from U.S. soil since the retirement of the space shuttle program in 2011.
It is unclear what, if any, impact the shake-up will have on the mission. NASA did not weigh in publicly as of late Tuesday and SpaceX did not return multiple requests for comment.
Replacing Loverro in an acting capacity is Ken Bowersox, a former astronaut who has flown to space six times and is now the deputy associate administrator in the human spaceflight office.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/19/nasa-human-spaceflight-director-ousted-268327
5月18日，美國美國國家航空航天局（NASA）主管載人計劃的副局長道格拉斯∙洛維羅（Douglas Loverro）突然宣佈辭職。
NASA在提供給俄羅斯衛星通訊社的一份聲明中稱：“負責載人計劃的副局長道格拉斯∙洛維羅於5月18日離職。”洛維羅的前副手肯內斯∙鮑威索克斯（ Kenneth Bowersox）被任命為載人計劃代理負責人。
衛星社報導，NASA方面沒有透露洛維羅離職的原因。據悉，洛維羅從2019年10月起領導了NASA的載人計劃。
洛維羅宣佈辭職的時間點不同尋常，NASA定於5月27日在美國本土利用美國太空探索技術公司（SpaceX）載人版“龍”飛船把兩名宇航員送入太空。
如果發射成功，這將是私人太空運輸企業首次把宇航員送入太空，同時將改變2011年以來美國依靠俄羅斯飛船運送宇航員往返國際空間站的局面。
除此之外，美國《華盛頓郵報》指出，洛維羅原本還將主持一項十分關鍵的“發射準備評審”會議，決定SpaceX是否應該繼續執行將兩名宇航員送至國際空間站的發射任務。
《華盛頓郵報》評價稱，洛維羅被認為是一個冷靜而有能力的執行官員，不僅幫助NASA恢復從美國本土進行載人發射，將其作為NASA商業載人計劃的一部分，他還推動執行白宮要求在2024年之前讓美國宇航員重返月球的計劃。
知情人士向《華盛頓郵報》透露，洛維羅辭職與其最近在採購月球登陸器過程中違反規則有關。洛維羅在一封給NASA人員的內部郵件中表示，NASA的任務“肯定不容易，也不適合膽小的人，冒險是工作描述的一部分。”
洛維羅稱，他“今年早些時候冒了一次險，因為我認為它對完成我們的使命是必要的。現在，經過一段時間的權衡，很明顯，我在這個選擇上犯了一個錯誤，我必須獨自承擔後果。”
洛韋羅拒絕談論他辭職的具體原因。他表示這與NASA的商業載人計劃無關，而與旨在實現美國重返月球的“阿爾忒彌斯”計劃有關，但是他拒絕透露相關細節。
《華盛頓郵報》報導稱，洛維羅的辭職在航天引起震動，人們擔心在這樣一個混亂的事態之後，美國宇航局是否應該繼續進行發射。
NASA局長吉姆·布里登斯廷（Jim Bridenstine）在一份聲明中表示，他對NASA商業載人項目經理凱瑟琳·露德絲（Kathy Lueders）充滿信心，他還表示NASA領導層、SpaceX和NASA的工程師團隊以及經驗豐富的載人航天專業人員多年來一直定期審查商業載人計劃。
NASA助理部長史蒂夫·尤爾齊克（Steve Jurczyk）將主持週四的準備情況審查會議。洛韋羅說，他認為這是“絕對安全的。”他補充說，他對尤爾齊克有“100%的信心”https://m.sina.com.hk/news/article/20200520/0/1/2/NASA%E8%BC%89%E4%BA%BA%E7%89%88%E9%BE%8D%E9%A3%9B%E8%88%B9%E4%B8%8B%E9%80%B1%E9%A6%96%E9%A3%9B%E5%89%8D%E5%A4%95%E8%BC%89%E4%BA%BA%E8%A8%88%E5%8A%83%E8%B2%A0%E8%B2%AC%E4%BA%BA%E7%AA%81%E7%84%B6%E8%BE%AD%E8%81%B7-11685746.html
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