Keith Cowing

Keith Cowing[1] is an American astrobiologist, former NASA employee, and the editor of the American space program blog NASA Watch. He is a credentialed NASA journalist and is known to be a critic of NASA activities and policies.[1][2]

NASA Watch

NASA Watch is a website blog which provides insider information and commentary about the United States space program and the U.S. government agency, NASA.[3] The first posting was in March, 1996. Cowing is a strong supporter of human spaceflight.[4] Cowing started the website when Daniel Goldin was administrator of NASA and at that time expressed harsh criticism of Goldin's policies. The inciting event for Keith was the mass layoffs in the transition from Space Station Freedom to the International Space Station.[5] For several years, NASA refused to accredit Cowing as a journalist and denied him access to NASA media events. Cowing was eventually granted full press accreditation.[3]

Cowing was a firm supporter of Goldin's successor as administrator, Sean O'Keefe, appointed by George W. Bush. Cowing also obtained exclusive first-hand information about the genesis of the Vision for Space Exploration, detailed in the book New Moon Rising which Cowing wrote with Frank Sietzen.[6]

When Michael Griffin was NASA administrator, the relationship between NASA Watch and NASA seemed to have been a more confrontational one. Cowing, as well as other space program insiders, commented negatively about a return to Goldin-style management practices under Griffin.[7] Cowing dubbed Monday, June 13, 2005 as Black Monday when many NASA personnel were sent reassignment letters.[8]

Publications

References
  1. "Keith Cowing, Webmaster, astrobiologist, journalist, former rocket scientist, and recovering ex-civil servant". Cowing.com. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  2. Tolson, Mike (January 7, 2017). "What would NASA in the age of Trump look like?". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  3. Godin, Mary Ellen (December 12, 1999). "Keeping an Eye on NASA". The Record-Journal. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  4. Crittenden, Jules (October 29, 2000). "Huge space station set to shine". Boston Herald. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  5. Cowing, Keith (June 9, 2010). "Space Station Freedom Deja Vu All Over Again". Nasa Watch. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  6. Sietzen, Frank; Cowing, Keith (2004). New moon rising : the making of America's new space vision and the remaking of NASA. Apogee Books. ISBN 978-1894959124. OCLC 56140988.
  7. Sappenfield, Mark (June 15, 2005). "NASA changes to run deep". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  8. Cowing, Keith (June 13, 2005). "Purge Update". NASA Watch. Retrieved November 16, 2011.

Further reading
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