Fresh after the retirement of Associate Administrator Jim Free on Wednesday, Feb. 19, NASA announced Monday, Feb. 24, that Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development Cathy Koerner will retire from the agency at the end of this week. Koerner has served in that role since the end of 2023.
This isn't the first time a career move by Jim Free has led to a move by Cathy Koerner.
Koerner spent 34 years at NASA in various roles, including Orion program manager and deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development. She took the position of associate administrator for exploration systems development when Jim Free, the previous person in that role, became associate administrator, the highest civil-service position at the agency.
As pointed out in the first link in this piece, Free retired apparently after Trump selected Janet Petro to lead the agency on an interim basis, awaiting the senate confirmation of Trump's appointment of Jared Isaacman as NASA Administrator.
“Cathy’s legacy is one of unwavering dedication to human spaceflight, and we are grateful for her years of service,” Petro said in a statement.
...
Replacing Koerner on an acting basis will be Lori Glaze, the deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development. Glaze is a planetary scientist who for several years was director of the agency’s planetary science division. She took a detail in the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) last spring and, several months later, elected to stay in that directorate as deputy associate administrator.
Since both Free and Koerner have been associated with the Artemis moon
missions, this has raised concerns about the future of Artemis - the main
mission of the ESDMD that they led over the last several years. There
has been talk about killing off SLS, the Lunar Gateway, and other aspects of
the Artemis program, including mentions by Jared Isaacman.
There have been other moves.
- Replacing Koerner on an acting basis will be Lori Glaze, her Deputy Assistant Administrator. Glaze is a planetary scientist who for several years was director of the agency’s planetary science division.
- Vanessa Wyche, director of the Johnson Space Center, has become acting associate administrator, replacing Free. She has been at NASA for 35 years, including nearly four years as director of the JSC.
-
NASA hired Jackie Jester as associate administrator for the Office of
Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs. She had been senior
director for government affairs at launch vehicle developer Relativity Space
and had previously worked at NASA as a policy advisor.
Finally: an important but unrelated footnote:
Starship Flight Test 8 has been moved to Friday, Feb. 28
according to that post to X by Elon Musk. Musk simply posted, “Starship Flight 8 flies Friday” and a quick check of
NextSpaceflight
shows the same time originally listed for Wednesday, 6:30 PM EST, 2330
UTC.
Cathy Koerner, seen here at a NASA exploration workshop Feb. 12, will retire as associate administrator of exploration systems development Feb. 28. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
I just think far too much pomp and circumstance is bestowed upon these worthies, its become a kind of separated hierarchy from us unwashed, though it is thru our labors which is source of wealth creation, from wich it is only possible they even hold such high positions and no other, from where they garner their pomps, where their circumstances bestow upon them tribute and benefits all out of character we ourselves have not nor ever seen in our careers and labors, they themselves are of such rarified station as to become those self entitled to the divine rights of nobility and kings.
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