New York (CNN Business) Lori Garver led a NASA program that paved the way for SpaceX to return a human plane to the United States after a ten-year wait. In his new book and in his recent interviews he considers the success, the debate over the new space, and the cultural issues prevalent in the aviation industry as a whole.
And a former NASA ally, when asked by CNN Business what the future of SpaceX could be, had a message for Elon Musk: Do not stumble, adding that dangers and space politics are they are a threat to the future of the company. .
In his new memoir, “Escaping Gravity,” Garver wrote his thoughts on the success of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, a sign that marked the first autonomous aircraft that resulted in the launch of SpaceX’s 2020 spacecraft.
“SpaceX has a great leader and is running faster than any other competition, including all the major airlines,” he wrote. “To me, that ‘s fun and scary at the same time.”
He adds, “[e] scaping gravity is not an easy process and in the coming years it will not be possible to hit it safely from time to time. The private sector will have to respond to its clients. for the wrong steps leading to bad results. Only time will tell if they will be given the opportunity to rectify their mistakes and continue as NASA was allowed to do in the past. “
In an interview with CNN Business, Garver also said he was disappointed to read a recent report accusing poison in the business space of SpaceX amid Musk’s unruly behavior on Twitter and “brotherly culture“. “broad, as he put it, widespread in the aviation industry.
Garver warned that if companies do not focus on solving problems such as harassment and lack of inclusion, “they will lose employees.”
“These rockets don’t build themselves,” he said. “The best and brightest, they can’t stand the behavior that is really a hindrance … The bro Culture could have succeeded in the past because a large number of engineers were men white.No. And we fully benefit from all who come.
SpaceX has not responded to a request for comment on this story, nor has it answered general questions from journalists for years.
In his book, Garver also recounts the atrocities he said he endured during his spacecraft, which included NASA as well as various other business and government activities. Having a negative attitude was “part of being a working woman in the airport when I was twenty-three,” she said.
In his book, he remembers a NASA officer who once “ordered me to come to his office so I could hit my birthday” in front of many of my colleagues.
In one incident, Garver recalled being in Moscow in his 30’s when “a highly paid airline contractor pushed me into my hotel room, pushing me on the bed.”
He wrote: “I managed to get out from under him and run into the hall, finding a co-worker who could intervene.
“I did not report the incident to NASA or to his employer. such under the rug, “he wrote. “I’m embarrassed for a number of reasons, but mostly because the behavior might continue.”
“It is time to end the causes of deeply ingrained misconduct and the proliferation of people in the field – including their leadership – who look and feel the same way,” Garver said. “Progress towards diversity, equality, and inclusion has been very slow.”
When Garver was named NASA’s second chief of staff in 2009, he said he had been thinking for decades about proposing space-based contracting policies. The old method, known as “cost-plus” contracting, in some ways gave NASA partners a blank check to get the plans done, and it was often even slower than budget.
The contract method that Garver and a small group of others pioneered for human aviation programs at NASA is now known as the commercial contract system. It allows companies to compete for contracts before NASA provides a fixed funding. If the plans exceed the budget, it is up to the contractors to cover the costs. But many astronauts refused, arguing that human aviation programs were too sophisticated and costly for many companies to try.
It was a controversial and critical battle to try to change the system, Garver recalls.
“The top industry and government officials enjoyed mocking [SpaceX] with Elon in the early years,” Garver wrote in his book. “To me, this seemed a bit irresponsible.”
At one point, Garver described himself as one of Musk’s “most ardent supporters [and] defenders.”
Finally, the Business Employees Program was approved and supported by Congress. SpaceX and Boeing were both awarded billions of dollars in contracts, and two years ago, the SpaceX Crew Dragon brought its first astrological team to the International Space Station. The company has already completed three more for NASA astrologers as well as two business ventures for wealthy people seeking pleasure. (Boeing is still working to get its Starliner aircraft operational but completed a test flight last month.)
The success of SpaceX has captivated many skeptics of the Commercial Crew Program.
However, Garver admits he did not expect SpaceX to be the dominant player in the commercial space race. When he first thought about this new way of awarding contracts, it was “a long time before billions of investors in the area” were part of the public mindset. “We always thought it would be airlines,” such as Lockheed Martin or Boeing, told CNN.
“It’s not something we thought about for a number of reasons,” he said.
Correction: An earlier version of this story left the meaning of the words in Garver’s words about not reporting the incident to NASA.
