A Conversation With: Howard DeCastro

Howard DeCastro is USA’s Space Shuttle Program Manager and is responsible for the overall program management of the Space Program Operations Contract. The USA Update talked to DeCastro about the future challenges and opportunities ahead for USA and future space exploration.

UPDATE: Counting STS-125, we have 10 missions remaining in the Shuttle Program: What are the main challenges the team will have to overcome as we fly these final Shuttle missions?

DECASTRO: I’m glad you used the term “team.” I want to start by saying that the “Shuttle Team” is outstanding. It’s very much like a family. It’s great people working together to achieve a common goal, and that goal is important to every member of the team, to NASA, to the United States and, for that matter, for all of us on Earth. We are in an exciting business at a very challenging time, as NASA completes the Shuttle mission, conducts the last Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission, completes the International Space Station and makes the transition to the Constellation Program to support further exploration.

The main challenges we have to overcome to finish the Shuttle mission are:  maintaining the critical/essential skilled employees necessary to safely complete the mission; maintaining the critical suppliers necessary to provide support to the program; dealing effectively and efficiently with the unknowns, like the past problems with cracked flow liners, on-pad damage to an external tank or significant weather; and, maintaining the engineering rigor and discipline that helps us understand and control risks in the system.

Meeting these challenges and successfully completing the Shuttle mission is tremendously important to the United States, to NASA and to all of us who are working in human space flight. NASA Administrator Mike Griffin has made it clear that successful completion of the Space Shuttle’s mission to complete the International Space Station is NASA’s number one priority. It is the foundation on which the United States and NASA will build to go back to the moon and beyond.

UPDATE:  What is at stake as we fly out the program?

DECASTRO: For the United States, it is a matter of national prestige. Our country is the unquestioned leader in human space flight, and the whole world watches our success, our failures, our determination and our perseverance and judges us as a nation. It is important that we succeed and that we maintain our leadership position. Also important is that we have promised the international partners that we will complete the International Space Station, and we will. The whole team wants to complete the Shuttle mission effectively and meet all of our goals.

For NASA, it is important to service the Hubble Space Telescope and continue to collect information about our universe. Completion of the International Space Station is the foundation for continued human space exploration.

For those of us in United Space Alliance, our continued demonstration of outstanding performance is what keeps us in business. Being part of the team that completes the Shuttle mission will be motivation enough for most of us. The Shuttle, Hubble and the International Space Station are three of the greatest technical achievements of NASA and the United States. All of us who are part of the Shuttle Program want to complete its mission and go on to other work with a feeling of accomplishment, satisfaction, and pride. We know that NASA recognizes the value of our company and our workforce and wants us to be part of their future in the post-Shuttle era.

For those of us that work on the Shuttle Program, it’s success has been a source of great pride. What we do to support the Space Shuttle Program, safely fly astronauts into space to service the Hubble Telescope and complete the International Space Station is vital to our nation’s space initiative. Our team is working together with NASA to make history. Only a few people in the entire world are engaged in human space flight, just a fraction of the world’s population. We are among those people, and it is easy to see that we all care.

UPDATE: How is the team performing?

DECASTRO: The Shuttle team has never been better. From Bill Gerstenmaier at NASA Headquarters, through John Shannon, the NASA Shuttle Program Manager at the Johnson Space Center, through the NASA and contractor work- forces, we are working together better than ever before, and we are meeting every challenge to keep the Shuttle missions safe, successful and on schedule.

Our recent performance scores have been in the excellent range and indicate that NASA recognizes our strong performance. In my judgment, we have been doing an outstanding job, especially since Return to Flight. The degree of dedication and enthusiasm among the workforce is incredible. It’s a great team doing an important and challenging mission.

UPDATE:  At the end of the Shuttle Program, we know we are going to have some layoffs. Why should employees stay with USA and stay engaged rather than pursue other job opportunities?

DECASTRO: Everybody on the team is motivated by putting humans into orbit. It is very clear to all of us that successful completion of the Shuttle mission is dependent on keeping the outstanding Shuttle team intact through the last mission. Every Shuttle person I talk with understands how important the mission is and how important their role is in making sure we do our job to fly every mission safely and on time.

There are lots of reasons to stay through Shuttle Mission Complete. We need to complete the Shuttle mission successfully to provide the foundation for continued human space flight. If Shuttle fails, Constellation fails. The Constellation Program is dependent on the success of the Shuttle and International Space Station.

There are going to be jobs for most of the people who want to continue working in human space flight. United Space Alliance has been and will continue to work to provide jobs for as many employees as possible. Our company and our workforce are highly respected by NASA, Lockheed Martin, Boeing and others in the space and aerospace community and our skills are going to be needed in the future.

Many USA employees, and we hope most, who stay through Shuttle Mission Complete will either have a job with USA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, NASA or another contractor supporting NASA.

Not everybody will have a job with us after we complete the mission. Those who stay and are laid off after Shuttle Mission Complete will have the benefit of our improved separation package. Those who are among the designated “Critical/ Essential Skill” population will also have the benefit of the completion bonus pay.

Whether to stay through Shuttle Mission Complete or pursue another job opportunity will be a very personal choice. There are thousands of us who want to stay through mission complete to be part of the Shuttle Program until the end. Some folks will be eligible to retire, others will be ready for a change, and some will decide they have to take a different job to give them the security they need to take care of their families and themselves.

UPDATE:  Over the next couple of years, there will be a number of distractions. How can employees stay focused and engaged with so much happening around them?

DECASTRO: Our folks are dedicated, skilled, focused and very smart. We all know how important it is to maintain focus and stay engaged to ensure safe operation of the Shuttle and safety for the crews. Every one of us works hard to minimize the distractions to make it easier to stay focused.

A major concern for employees is, “will I have a job after Shuttle?” Dick Covey and Dan Brandenstein and their senior leadership team have the responsibility to bring in new business that will provide the jobs and security that people are looking for. They also have the responsibility to communicate all of the news, good and bad, so individuals know what to expect and can make plans and decisions that are best for them.

We trust our leadership because Dick and Dan have demonstrated excellent knowledge of the Shuttle Program, skill in dealing with issues, honesty in their communications and ethical behavior in their professional and personal lives.

It is important for all of us to know that the senior leadership team is doing all they can to ensure a viable future for the company and for our workforce.

UPDATE:  What is the company doing to secure other jobs, and how does finishing the Shuttle Program play into that?

DECASTRO: Finishing the Shuttle Program successfully is absolutely necessary to help us maintain our company reputation and the reputation of our workforce. To use the Gene Kranz words, “Failure is not an option.” We must succeed, we can succeed, and we will succeed.

On the issues of jobs post Shuttle, we all know that there is a significant “gap” in the United States’ capability to fly humans in space between the last Shuttle flight in 2010 and the first planned Ares I flight with humans in 2015. That “gap” along with the goal to make Ares I and Ares V easier than the Shuttle to process, launch and turnaround means fewer jobs in Florida. A more streamlined approach to flight planning, training and on-orbit mission support means fewer jobs in Texas.

There is no doubt United Space Alliance will have fewer people after Shuttle. The company goal is to protect the work we have through excellent performance, grow our future business with NASA to earn the right to continue to be NASA’s operations and engineering support contractor on Constellation, diversify to find work in areas other than NASA and be innovative in our approaches to new business to enhance our ability to win new and diverse contracts.

Dick Covey, Dan Brandenstein and the Business Development team are working with NASA, Lockheed Martin, Boeing and other companies to identify opportunities that will provide work and jobs in the post-Shuttle era. We already have had many successes and expect to do well on future bids.

NASA intends to award United Space Alliance the Integrated Mission Operations Contract (IMOC), and we are on both teams that are bidding the Facilities Development and Operations Contract (FDOC). We have our sights set on the Ground Processing Services (GPS) contract in Florida and are encouraged that there are opportunities at the MSFC for design engineers and integration personnel. We expect to increase our support to the MSFC labs and are planning to be a part of the Ares V Program.

Flight Crew Equipment is in a strong position to continue to support astronaut training and on-orbit requirements and we were a part of the winning bid for the new space suit, a contract that has been challenged and is under review. Flight Software is examining several opportunities in and out of aerospace. We are looking for opportunities for Logistics and NSLD both in and outside of government. For our Orbiter and other engineers and technicians we are looking for job opportunities inside USA and, we also are negotiating with Lockheed Martin and Boeing to provide “preferred” hiring opportunities for USA employees who may want to seek an opportunity with them after Shuttle Mission Complete.

As we win new business, or lose it, we will pass on that information so that all of us know how we are doing.

UPDATE:  How realistic are the expectations that the Shuttle Program will be extended or additional missions will be added?

DECASTRO: It is possible that Congress will authorize at least one additional flight for the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. It is possible, but less likely, that a new administration will direct NASA to fly more Shuttle missions to shorten the “gap” between the final Shuttle mission and the operational capability of Ares I. However, Mike Griffin has made it clear that extending the life of the Shuttle does not shorten the “gap” unless there is additional funding for Shuttle that does not take money away from Constellation.

There are lots of political factors in play right now, and there is no way to know exactly what will happen after the election. Regardless of the number of missions remaining, our responsibility is to continue to conduct every mission safely.

UPDATE:  For those that stay until the mission is complete and see the final Shuttle mission land, what is the reward going to be?

DECASTRO: The greatest reward is being part of an amazing accomplishment and seeing it through to a successful completion. Still, folks have to have jobs to provide for themselves and their families. When we were working with NASA on developing the retention plans we listened carefully to the workforce. The overwhelming message was that people want jobs after Shuttle. We are working as hard and as smart as we know how to provide a future for as many employees of United Space Alliance as we can.

For those who won’t have jobs, we have improved our company separation policy to provide a minimum of four and a maximum of 26 weeks of pay based on years of service. For more than 6,400 employees who have been identified as “Critical and Essential” because their certifications and particular skills are not replaceable in time to effectively help us complete the mission, we have provided a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 26 weeks of pay for those who are laid off after Shuttle Mission Complete.

We would like to have jobs for everybody who wants to continue working with United Space Alliance in human space flight and the other areas in which we expect to gain work. We don’t expect to have jobs for everybody, and the Separation and Critical and Essential skills Completion bonus is designed to provide a financial cushion for people who retire or have to seek other jobs.

UPDATE:  Do you have any final thoughts?

DECASTRO: Successful completion of the Shuttle mission is NASA’s and our highest priority. I am grateful that the majority of our Shuttle workforce wants to see the program through to the end.

The motivation provided by being part of human space flight, flying our nation’s astronauts into space and being part of history is the glue that keeps us together and keeps us focused on completing the mission.

We have an outstanding workforce, a great team and a close family that has made the Shuttle Program the jewel inside NASA. I am confident we will continue working together to do our part to complete the Shuttle mission. After the last Shuttle landing we will go on to the next job, with United Space Alliance or wherever that will be, with our heads held high, knowing we were part of one of our nation’s greatest achievements and part of history.

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