NASA Workforce Transition Strategy, 3rd Edition Summary Points July 21, 2009

Introduction

• This is the third edition of the NASA Workforce Transition Strategy. The first was released in March 2008, the second in October 2008.
• This edition provides updates to the fiscal year (FY) 2009 and FY 2010 Nationwide workforce estimates for human space flight.
• Estimates for the Center-level workforce figures for FY 2010 and for FY 2011 and out have not been updated since the October 2008 release. The next edition of the Strategy will include updates to the current and outyear workforce estimates, based on detailed analysis of the impacts of the FY 2010 budget request and the results of the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans (the “Augustine Panel”).
• Sections that have not been updated, and were included in previous editions as background information on the NASA workforce transition strategy and process, have been removed from this edition. The October 2008 update can be viewed at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/transition/home/second_strategy_report.html
• NASA and its contractors face difficult challenges over the next few years. We must:
• Safely fly out the Space Shuttle and complete the International Space Station (ISS) to honor our commitments to our international partners.
• Retire the Space Shuttle once the manifest is complete.
• Bring Orion and Ares I into operation as soon as possible.
• Use the ISS to develop technologies and biomedical countermeasures which will enable long- duration human spaceflight, and enable its use as a National Laboratory.
• Ongoing work to field an initial operating capability (IOC) for Ares I and Orion in 2015 is proceeding.

Changes in the Third Edition

• The workforce estimates for FY 2009 and FY 2010 reflect current Space Shuttle and Constellation Initial Operational Capability (IOC) plans, including:
• Aligning work to enable an Ares I / Orion IOC in March 2015.
• Increasing Space Shuttle schedule margins by remanifesting two flights onto Space Shuttle Atlantis (OV-103), which previously was scheduled to be retired following the STS-125 servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
• Complying with direction provided by Congress in the NASA Authorization Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-422) to refrain from taking any actions prior to the end of April 2009 that would preclude the option of flying the Space Shuttle beyond the planned 2010 retirement date.
• Significantly improved estimates of workforce requirements associated with Shuttle transition and retirement activities.
• Workforce levels in FY 2009 and FY 2010 are higher than previously reported due to changes to the Shuttle manifest (including the addition of an additional flight to carry the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to the ISS in 2010) and previously unallocated Constellation dollars being assigned work content in FY 2009.
• Specific issues:
• Nationwide –3rd Edition workforce estimates for FY 2009 are ~200-900 higher, and FY 2010 estimates are ~ 700-1,100 higher, than were provided in the 2nd Edition due primarily to changes in the Shuttle manifest.
• Kennedy Space Center (KSC) — 3rd Edition estimates for FY 2009 are equivalent to the 2nd Edition estimates.
• Johnson Space Center (JSC)- –. 3rd Edition WYE estimates for FY 2009 are higher than they were in the 2nd Edition. The low/high for contractor Work-Year Equivalent (WYE) is 6,500/7,400 (versus 6,000/6,200 in the 2nd Edition). Increased estimates include ~300 increase in WYE for SSP and ~600-700 increase in WYE for CxP.
• Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) –3rd Edition estimates for FY 2009 are higher than they were in the 2nd Edition. WYE low/high for the 3rd Edition is 4,500 (versus 2,900/3,100 in 2nd Edition). The increase in WYE is due mostly to a more complete understanding of off- site ATK work in Utah and Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne work in Florida, managed by MSFC.
• Stennis Space Center (SSC) — The 3rd Edition estimates for FY 2009 are higher than they were in the 2nd Edition. FTE estimates are essentially the same (~50 in the 3rd Edition versus ~100 in the 2nd Edition, which partially reflects moving toward estimating the SSC workforce to the nearest 10 rather than the nearest 100). The WYE estimate for the 3rd Edition 300 is the same as the 2nd Edition estimate (300).
• Workforce morale in the Space Shuttle Program continues to be high. Seventy percent of respondents say they will stay through the end of the Program, which is consistent with both plans for having enough critical skills to safely fly out the Shuttle Program and contractor drawdown plans.