WASHINGTON, March 22 (States News Service) -- Amid controversial news reports and internal reviews alleging bad management practices at NASA, Administrator Dan Goldin accepted blame for the agency's failures in front of Congress Wednesday.
Facing members of the Senate Science, Technology and Space Subcommittee concerned by scathing internal reviews, and asking about a news story alleging that NASA knew its Mars Polar Lander was destined to fail, Goldin admitted to pushing the agency too hard.
He said better training was needed, and said the agency would launch a "major" mentoring and training program for all of its 18,500 employees.
"I view [the lack of training] as the most critical error we made," Goldin said. "I feel terrible that we did not see it."
He indicated that small budgets, a key element of the agency's "faster, better, cheaper" creed, had been squeezed too tight, but ultimately stood by the principle born under his administration.
"We pushed real hard on budget and I'm personally responsible for that," he said. "Did we push the limits too much? You bet...but we are not returning to $600 million a spacecraft and two launches per year."
Former presidential candidate and commerce committee chairman, Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) joined the chorus of dissent aimed at NASA's spotty management record, which has been scrutinized by several recent reports.
"Over the past year, I have continually been amazed by the reports coming out of NASA about the mission failures and program delays," he said. "The extent of mismanagement noted in these reports is very startling."
McCain and Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tennessee) and chair of the subcommittee indicated their desire to make sure federal dollars were being well-spent, and suggested NASA would need more oversight.
"I think it's long overdue that this committee exercise more rigorously its oversight of NASA in light of these events," McCain said, citing $9 billion in cost overruns on the International Space Station and the two failed Mars missions.
"Based upon our initial review of the various investigation reports on these problems," Frist said, "the real culprit may be management."
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