Looks like another GISS miss, more than a few people are getting fed up with Jim Hansen and Gavin Schmidt and their climate shenanigans. Some very prominent NASA voices speak out in a scathing letter to current NASA administrator Charles Bolden, Jr.. When Chris Kraft, the man who presided over NASA’s finest hour, and the engineering miracle of saving Apollo 13 speaks, people listen. UPDATE: I’ve added a poll at the end of this story.
See also: The Right Stuff: what the NASA astronauts say about global warming
Former NASA scientists, astronauts admonish agency on climate change position
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Blanquita Cullum 703-307-9510 bqview at mac.com
Joint letter to NASA Administrator blasts agency’s policy of ignoring empirical evidence
HOUSTON, TX – April 10, 2012.
49 former NASA scientists and astronauts sent a letter to NASA Administrator Charles Bolden last week admonishing the agency for it’s role in advocating a high degree of certainty that man-made CO2 is a major cause of climate change while neglecting empirical evidence that calls the theory into question.
The group, which includes seven Apollo astronauts and two former directors of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, are dismayed over the failure of NASA, and specifically the Goddard Institute For Space Studies (GISS), to make an objective assessment of all available scientific data on climate change. They charge that NASA is relying too heavily on complex climate models that have proven scientifically inadequate in predicting climate only one or two decades in advance.
H. Leighton Steward, chairman of the non-profit Plants Need CO2, noted that many of the former NASA scientists harbored doubts about the significance of the C02-climate change theory and have concerns over NASA’s advocacy on the issue. While making presentations in late 2011 to many of the signatories of the letter, Steward realized that the NASA scientists should make their concerns known to NASA and the GISS.
“These American heroes – the astronauts that took to space and the scientists and engineers that put them there – are simply stating their concern over NASA’s extreme advocacy for an unproven theory,” said Leighton Steward. “There’s a concern that if it turns out that CO2 is not a major cause of climate change, NASA will have put the reputation of NASA, NASA’s current and former employees, and even the very reputation of science itself at risk of public ridicule and distrust.”
Select excerpts from the letter:
- “The unbridled advocacy of CO2 being the major cause of climate change is unbecoming of NASA’s history of making an objective assessment of all available scientific data prior to making decisions or public statements.”
- “We believe the claims by NASA and GISS, that man-made carbon dioxide is having a catastrophic impact on global climate change are not substantiated.”
- “We request that NASA refrain from including unproven and unsupported remarks in its future releases and websites on this subject.”
The full text of the letter:
March 28, 2012
The Honorable Charles Bolden, Jr.
NASA Administrator
NASA Headquarters
Washington, D.C. 20546-0001
Dear Charlie,
We, the undersigned, respectfully request that NASA and the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) refrain from including unproven remarks in public releases and websites. We believe the claims by NASA and GISS, that man-made carbon dioxide is having a catastrophic impact on global climate change are not substantiated, especially when considering thousands of years of empirical data. With hundreds of well-known climate scientists and tens of thousands of other scientists publicly declaring their disbelief in the catastrophic forecasts, coming particularly from the GISS leadership, it is clear that the science is NOT settled.
The unbridled advocacy of CO2 being the major cause of climate change is unbecoming of NASA’s history of making an objective assessment of all available scientific data prior to making decisions or public statements.
As former NASA employees, we feel that NASA’s advocacy of an extreme position, prior to a thorough study of the possible overwhelming impact of natural climate drivers is inappropriate. We request that NASA refrain from including unproven and unsupported remarks in its future releases and websites on this subject. At risk is damage to the exemplary reputation of NASA, NASA’s current or former scientists and employees, and even the reputation of science itself.
For additional information regarding the science behind our concern, we recommend that you contact Harrison Schmitt or Walter Cunningham, or others they can recommend to you.
Thank you for considering this request.
Sincerely,
(Attached signatures)
CC: Mr. John Grunsfeld, Associate Administrator for Science
CC: Ass Mr. Chris Scolese, Director, Goddard Space Flight Center
Ref: Letter to NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, dated 3-26-12, regarding a request for NASA to refrain from making unsubstantiated claims that human produced CO2 is having a catastrophic impact on climate change.
/s/ Jack Barneburg, Jack – JSC, Space Shuttle Structures, Engineering Directorate, 34 years
/s/ Larry Bell – JSC, Mgr. Crew Systems Div., Engineering Directorate, 32 years
/s/ Dr. Donald Bogard – JSC, Principal Investigator, Science Directorate, 41 years
/s/ Jerry C. Bostick – JSC, Principal Investigator, Science Directorate, 23 years
/s/ Dr. Phillip K. Chapman – JSC, Scientist – astronaut, 5 years
/s/ Michael F. Collins, JSC, Chief, Flight Design and Dynamics Division, MOD, 41 years
/s/ Dr. Kenneth Cox – JSC, Chief Flight Dynamics Div., Engr. Directorate, 40 years
/s/ Walter Cunningham – JSC, Astronaut, Apollo 7, 8 years
/s/ Dr. Donald M. Curry – JSC, Mgr. Shuttle Leading Edge, Thermal Protection Sys., Engr. Dir., 44 years
/s/ Leroy Day – Hdq. Deputy Director, Space Shuttle Program, 19 years
/s/ Dr. Henry P. Decell, Jr. – JSC, Chief, Theory & Analysis Office, 5 years
/s/Charles F. Deiterich – JSC, Mgr., Flight Operations Integration, MOD, 30 years
/s/ Dr. Harold Doiron – JSC, Chairman, Shuttle Pogo Prevention Panel, 16 years
/s/ Charles Duke – JSC, Astronaut, Apollo 16, 10 years
/s/ Anita Gale
/s/ Grace Germany – JSC, Program Analyst, 35 years
/s/ Ed Gibson – JSC, Astronaut Skylab 4, 14 years
/s/ Richard Gordon – JSC, Astronaut, Gemini Xi, Apollo 12, 9 years
/s/ Gerald C. Griffin – JSC, Apollo Flight Director, and Director of Johnson Space Center, 22 years
/s/ Thomas M. Grubbs – JSC, Chief, Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering Branch, 31 years
/s/ Thomas J. Harmon
/s/ David W. Heath – JSC, Reentry Specialist, MOD, 30 years
/s/ Miguel A. Hernandez, Jr. – JSC, Flight crew training and operations, 3 years
/s/ James R. Roundtree – JSC Branch Chief, 26 years
/s/ Enoch Jones – JSC, Mgr. SE&I, Shuttle Program Office, 26 years
/s/ Dr. Joseph Kerwin – JSC, Astronaut, Skylab 2, Director of Space and Life Sciences, 22 years
/s/ Jack Knight – JSC, Chief, Advanced Operations and Development Division, MOD, 40 years
/s/ Dr. Christopher C. Kraft – JSC, Apollo Flight Director and Director of Johnson Space Center, 24 years
/s/ Paul C. Kramer – JSC, Ass.t for Planning Aeroscience and Flight Mechanics Div., Egr. Dir., 34 years
/s/ Alex (Skip) Larsen
/s/ Dr. Lubert Leger – JSC, Ass’t. Chief Materials Division, Engr. Directorate, 30 years
/s/ Dr. Humbolt C. Mandell – JSC, Mgr. Shuttle Program Control and Advance Programs, 40 years
/s/ Donald K. McCutchen – JSC, Project Engineer – Space Shuttle and ISS Program Offices, 33 years
/s/ Thomas L. (Tom) Moser – Hdq. Dep. Assoc. Admin. & Director, Space Station Program, 28 years
/s/ Dr. George Mueller – Hdq., Assoc. Adm., Office of Space Flight, 6 years
/s/ Tom Ohesorge
/s/ James Peacock – JSC, Apollo and Shuttle Program Office, 21 years
/s/ Richard McFarland – JSC, Mgr. Motion Simulators, 28 years
/s/ Joseph E. Rogers – JSC, Chief, Structures and Dynamics Branch, Engr. Directorate,40 years
/s/ Bernard J. Rosenbaum – JSC, Chief Engineer, Propulsion and Power Division, Engr. Dir., 48 years
/s/ Dr. Harrison (Jack) Schmitt – JSC, Astronaut Apollo 17, 10 years
/s/ Gerard C. Shows – JSC, Asst. Manager, Quality Assurance, 30 years
/s/ Kenneth Suit – JSC, Ass’t Mgr., Systems Integration, Space Shuttle, 37 years
/s/ Robert F. Thompson – JSC, Program Manager, Space Shuttle, 44 years/s/ Frank Van Renesselaer – Hdq., Mgr. Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters, 15 years
/s/ Dr. James Visentine – JSC Materials Branch, Engineering Directorate, 30 years
/s/ Manfred (Dutch) von Ehrenfried – JSC, Flight Controller; Mercury, Gemini & Apollo, MOD, 10 years
/s/ George Weisskopf – JSC, Avionics Systems Division, Engineering Dir., 40 years
/s/ Al Worden – JSC, Astronaut, Apollo 15, 9 years
/s/ Thomas (Tom) Wysmuller – JSC, Meteorologist, 5 years
===============================================================
hat tip to to Bob Ferguson, SPPI
UPDATE: I’ve added this poll:
*snap*
Obviously these guys aren’t “real” climate scientists…..only “rocket scientists”… 😉
…IOW, they don’t understand the complexities of the blah…blah…blah……
I wonder just how he defines “tremendous resources”
Come on guys. Give Hansen a little more time and the empirical evidence will appear ,… out of nowhere … and suddenly be warmer today and colder in the past.
Bunch of retired NASA engineers and scientists. Bah! What do they know? I mean, except how to rigorously apply a disciplined methodology and careful scientific thought to incomplete data to make insanely difficult missions work. /sarc
It’s about time!
Bravo to these brave men and women ! I’ve considered NASA and GISS joke organizations for years now and never take anything they say about climate seriously. If they want to rehabilitate their credibility they should fire Hansen.
You know they’ll just say “and look – not a climate scientist in the bunch”.
Rocket scientists vs. Climate scientists.
Can you imagine Hansen in charge of launch control?
“I have become Prostelyzer, Destroyer of Science”
— James Hansen, Megalomanic Extraordinaire
Maybe this will start the door opening for Hansen to leave but since his noble leader does not want AGW to go away,he probably will stay. ALAS.
With hundreds of well-known climate scientists …declaring their disbelief in the catastrophic forecasts … it is clear that the science is NOT settled.
Who?
“These American heroes – the astronauts that took to space and the scientists and engineers that put them there – are simply stating their concern over NASA’s extreme advocacy for an unproven theory,” said Leighton Steward.
Correction: “…extreme advocacy for an unproven HYPOTHESIS.”
Huh! I thought it was already happening in frightening slow motion. Hansen’s name and reputation will go down in history as a scaremonger who shamed his name, institution, and no one will ever believe a single word GISS has to say on today’s weather let alone the climate.
Talk about a list of scientific / engineering heavy hitters …
A reminder – Harrison Schmitt is on the Board of Directors of the Heartland Institute, so some people might consider him tainted. Personally, after talking with him for a while at the Chicago ICCC, he’s managed to remain a very personable, and (dare I say it) “down to Earth” demeanor. He’s also the only geologist to reach the Moon, and geologists have a much better “world view” about the impacts of climate change than people from any other branch of science.
So, this is going to NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. I heard Dr. Hansen talk at a Mensa Colloquium a few years ago, he was careful to he was speaking as a private citizen. I’m tempted to complain to Bolden for every news media piece that doesn’t make that clear, e.g. the recent stories in the news about Hansen and his lecture at Edinburgh. It should be Hansen’s responsibilty to make sure the new media are corrected about that, and infringements should be brought to NASA’s attention.
The world is waking up, one rocket scientist at a time. Long live the slide rule.
Yeah, but how many are climate scientists? /SARC
The climate scientists are in a feeding frenzy from the public teat.
Duke Kraft Cunningham Schmitt Kerwin Worden…the list is going to hurt many, many people.
Wait now for the Bad Astronomer to poo-poo them one by one. Moon hoaxers will rejoice.
to Mark Bofill , you say:
” Bunch of retired NASA engineers and scientists. Bah! ”
Think think think, Mark.
Why do you not wonder howcome so many engeneers and scientists happen to speak out only when they are retired??
Think!
The fact that peoble wait until after retirement to speak out should us all even more concerned of what is going on in climate “scence”.
This proves it,
To warming alarmists skepticism IS rocket science.
The Weather Clown has been busy destroying actual thermometer readings for decades. Actual readings may be harder to find than one might think. Remember that NIWA (New Zealand) only got caught when they were unaware that the national library had a compilation of all old weather data. Until that point NIWA provided altered data as original.
henrythethird says: “Can you imagine Hansen in charge of launch control?”
Well it goes something like this with people like these as astronauts:
[ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncBSOyte6lA ]
It’s about time the honest scientists, engineers and others at NASA and GISS speak up against the blatant fraud being perpetrated on US citizens via global warming propoganda. I do think they may be too late, though. They should’ve done this years ago instead of waiting for the scrutiny to fade.
There is no question that NASA and GISS deserve a thorough house cleaning, starting at the top. Ditto EPA of course.
However, the electorate will return Pres. Obama and a Dem house due to the rediculous nature of Rommney running on tax breaks for the rich when he pays less income tax as a percentage than probably his hair stylist.
Thus this letter from the NASA allumni is the only way to address the issue of bad science. The signataries must now step into the media spotlight and make good science an issue during this election. Only then will Pres. Obama slow his carbon agenda. There is no hope of him seeing the light and abandoning it, after all, it is a new religion for many.
Too little too late.
It has made me very sad to watch NASA throw its reputation away over this nonsense.
I dreamed of working there as a kid – and I would now beg my own kids to stay well clear of it if such an opportunity arose.
I’m afraid there will be no going back from this – for them or the Royal Society.
Future pronouncements are valueless.
How did they ever let this happen?