spacetoday.net: NASA human spaceflight head abruptly resigns

Posted: Sun, May 24, 2020, 10:52 AM ET (1452 GMT)
The head of NASA's human spaceflight programs, Doug Loverro, has abruptly resigned over what he calls a "mistake." NASA announced Tuesday that Loverro resigned as associate administrator for human exploration and operations after less than six months on the job. NASA did not disclose the reason for Loverro's resignation, but Loverro said in a memo that he took an unspecified "risk" that had consequences for him: "it is clear that I made a mistake in that choice for which I alone must bear the consequences." That issue appears to involve some aspect of Artemis program procurement, and not commercial crew. The timing of the resignation, a little more than a week before the Demo-2 commercial crew launch, has nonetheless surprised many and raised questions about the agency. In a statement, Rep. Kendra Horn (D-Okla.), chair of the House space subcommittee, said she was "deeply concerned" about the resignation, and that "we need answers."