A $5 Billion NASA Mission Looked Doomed. Could Engineers Save It?
People at NASA headquarters take deep breaths when the words “First Story” appear in their email. Late this spring, Curt Niebur, the lead scientist for flight programs, received such a message.
“You open that email right away,” Dr. Niebur said. “You read it, and then you reply, ‘Thank you for sharing,’ and then you bury your face in a pillow and you howl in terror.”
The matter prompting Dr. Niebur’s apprehension involved Europa Clipper, one of NASA’s most scientifically important missions. The agency’s science division created the “First Story” process to encourage science project staff members to communicate potentially bad news without fear of overreaction by leadership.
This news seemed exceptionally bad. If what Dr. Niebur was reading was true, Europa Clipper was cooked.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/17/science/nasa-europa-clipper-radiation.html?unlocked_article_code=1.LU4.X8if.KLhXjovGpN9H&smid=url-share