[ExI] NASA Associate Administrator Stern resigns

[Amara Graps]

Wow. How depressing. Alan is the primary reason I'm in the US/Boulder
now. And whatever is the reason, it came to a head quickly. When he was in
Boulder last week for the New Horizons meetings, he gave no indication
that anything was amiss 'enough' to leave. He used words to the contrary
(looking ahead to the next two years), in fact.

And NASA Chief Scientist John Mather (shared Nobel Prize for Physics
last year) is also leaving (rumor from NASA Watch).

Amara


----------------------------------------------------------------

Weiler to Replace Stern as NASA Science Chief
By Brian Berger
Space News Staff Writer
posted: 26 March 2008
11:20 am ET

This story was updated 11:35 a.m. EDT.

WASHINGTON ? NASA is recalling Goddard Space Flight Center
Director Ed Weiler to the U.S. space agency's headquarters here to  take
over the Science Mission Directorate in the wake of Alan
Stern's resignation.

Stern, a seasoned planetary scientist who joined NASA in April
2007 to pursue a reform-minded agenda, informed colleagues in an
e-mail March 26 that he would be leaving the agency in the month
ahead.

In his e-mail, which he sent out at 8:34 a.m., according to the
time stamp, Stern said that he offered his resignation March 25
and that NASA Administrator Mike Griffin "reluctantly accepted"
it.

"I will remain at NASA for a few weeks," Stern wrote. "It's been
my privilege to serve the NASA and scientific community and to
work with you."

"I also want you to know," Stern continued, "that Mike and I
remain on good terms. He remains in my eyes the best administrator
NASA has ever had."

In a statement, Griffin commended Stern for his service and
announced that Weiler, who served as NASA's space science chief
from 1998 to 2004, would replace Stern on an interim basis.

"Alan has rendered invaluable service to NASA as the Principal
Investigator for the Pluto/New Horizons mission, as a member of
the NASA Advisory Council, and as the associate administrator of
the Science Mission Directorate," Griffin said. "While I deeply
regret his decision to leave NASA, I understand his reasons for
doing so, and wish him all the best in his future endeavors."


-- 

Amara Graps, PhD      www.amara.com
Research Scientist, Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), Boulder, Colorado