NASA Official Offers Few Guarantees at Aerospace Forum

LANCASTER — As NASA’s top executive stood Tuesday before community leaders of the Antelope Valley, which was devastated by defense spending cuts in the early ‘90s and has only recently showed signs of recovery, he offered no promises for the future and very little sympathy.

“NASA is not a jobs program,” said NASA Administrator Dan Goldin. “I have no sympathy for that.

“I’d like [people here] to understand that NASA is doing everything it can to ensure that the American taxpayer is getting the most for their dollar. I told defense workers that means if they don’t perform, we’re going to cancel their program.”

Goldin and U.S. Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R--Santa Clarita) joined city officials, aerospace company executives and representatives of industry groups Tuesday in a series of meetings designed to showcase the Antelope Valley.

More than 15,000 jobs have been eliminated this decade by the eight major aerospace and defense contractors in the Antelope and San Fernando valleys and Ventura County.

“My first reaction was that it was nice that someone was looking out for my tax dollar,” said Howard Brooks, executive director of the Antelope Valley Board of Trade.

“He didn’t try to soften anything like a lot of bureaucrats do. But I think companies here in the Antelope Valley are on the road to recovery and the aerospace workers here are top drawer.”

McKeon agreed and ticked off a couple of the projects that local defense contractors have won in recent years, including Lockheed’s acquisition of the contract to build a prototype of the X-33, the next generation of reusable spacecraft.

“The X-33 will bring in hundreds of jobs,” McKeon said. “But I don’t know that we’re ever going to see a return to the times of huge defense spending again. We’ll get our share of the dollars being spent though.”

Goldin also met with children from the Quartz Hill 4-H club and joked with McKeon and astronaut Mary Ellen Weber. All three took turns flying the group’s mock Space Shuttle flight simulator, a video game.

During McKeon’s flight, the computer froze and Goldin cracked: “Don’t be embarrassed. It happens at NASA all the time.”