Exclusive Interview with NASA Administrator Posted on Design News Website

Business Wire, Dec 13, 1999

NEWTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 13, 1999--

"If we don't have failures, it would mean we have set mediocre

goals."

Design News today posted an exclusive interview with Dan Goldin, the NASA Administrator responsible for the "faster, better, cheaper" philosophy. The interview is available from the homepage of the Design News website (www.designnews.com) and includes Goldin's comments on the failure of the Mars Polar Lander and the future of the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab.

Asked where the planetary program goes from the loss of the Mars mission he responded, "We are not going to give up. And we are definitely not going back to the era of a more expensive and more bureaucratic space program. If we don't have failures, it would mean we have set mediocre goals." He goes on to describe the scrutiny the entire planetary exploration program will receive in the coming weeks. Design News had already interviewed Goldin for an article in its January 3, 2000 issue, but in light of recent developments with the Mars mission, editors contacted Goldin for further comments and posted them on their website.

Dan Goldin became the longest continuously serving NASA Administrator, having been appointed by President Bush in 1992. Since then, Goldin's "faster, better, cheaper" philosophy has transformed the agency, once perceived by critics as bloated. According to agency officials: NASA and Congress have reduced its budgets for a cumulative savings of $40 billion and reduced the civil-service workforce by one-third, without forced layoffs; the number of missions launched per year has quadrupled; the agency and contractors have reduced spacecraft costs by two thirds; and chopped a third from Space Shuttle costs--while improving safety and mission capabilities.

In the Design News interview, Goldin talks at length about the future of NASA programs and its relationship with Congress. "I hope to go beyond Earth orbit, to perhaps Mars, comets, and asteroids for research stations." He believes humans will explore Mars in ten to 25 years.

Design News is America's best-read design engineering magazine with readership of 180,000 professionals in the original equipment market. The magazine and its website are dedicated to reporting on the latest technology news and real-world application stories from a variety of fields.