Bad Astronomy

The outrage grows

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I expected my previous blog entry would generate some responses; political ones always do. I also expected it to resonate with a lot of people, given how viciously science has been attacked recently together with the mounting evidence that a lot of it is being spearheaded politically (ironically, Time magazine’s cover story this week is Are We Losing Our Edge?, about America and science).

I was reticent at first to blog about it. I mean, I knew I had to, but this is a sensitive topic, especially given that I myself receive grants from NASA for my day job. But I also know that as an American citizen I must speak out against suppression, and as a scientist I am doubly beholden to do so when it’s the truth that is being suppressed.

So I will reiterate: my grievance is not with NASA, but with some of the political appointees foist onto it. I’ll point out that the NASA chief administrator, Mike Griffin, is himself a political appointee, and I find him so far to be able and fit to run NASA. I disagree with him on some issues, of course, but I find his openness and honesty to be refreshing.

His email to NASA employees about the open nature of NASA science was likewise refreshing. So I hope he finds out how many people were shocked to learn of what’s happening in the Public Affairs Office.

To help out, here is a list – ever growing; I gave up hours ago trying to keep up with it – of other bloggers and sources of comments about this burgeoning issue. Note: I do not necessarily endorse what is being said on these blogs; and many are more or less “me too” posts. I list them just to show how much of an interest this story has generated.