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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I have worked as a federal contractor for NASA for over 20 years and I'll say that there is a reason that it is at the top.  It is a fantastic agency to work for.  I've known people who left NASA for better opportunities and then struggled for years to get back to a position at NASA.  Excellent work-life balance.  But also a fantastic commitment to the work.  We commit to the work when we have to, but we usually know in advance when we'll need to commit more (like flight mission schedules).[/quote]

But what does the future hold for NASA now that the Space Shuttle program has ended? Read that most of the best and brightest have already left for greener pastures.[/quote]

Not really.  NASA is working on the next generation of space flight vehicles, the James Webb Space Telescope which is the long term replacement for Hubble, more projects to go to the International Space Station and have a lot of projects for Earth Observation.  What many people don't know is that the Earth Science division has a lot of very practical instruments that study conditions here on Earth.  NASA Earth Science instruments were critical in helping the Army Corp of Engineers see and repair the damaged levee during Hurricane Katrina.  The satellite imagery helped show where and how large the damage was when it was too dangerous to send divers down and when it would have been very difficult for the divers to have determined the size of the damage in good enough measurements for the engineers to design the necessary repairs.  NASA equipment ties in with NOAA equipment for hurricane and tsunami watches worldwide and have been used to save lives in many places by predicting and monitoring dangerous weather situations.

As for best and brightest, not as far as I've seen.  Much of the downsizing that I've seen include middle level management and IT staff that have left as contracts reorganize.  Many of the strong scientists have a lot of research grants that support them, so they are somewhat removed from the vagaries of annual budgeting.  Many of the engineers who "leave" the agency move to contract companies like Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grummond, etc and come back as contractors making more money. [/quote]

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