Furloughed, NASA Style
David Jones is an employee at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virgina. Along with 97 percent of NASA and 800,000 federal employees, he was deemed non-essential and furloughed due to the government shutdown.
He had never heard of Hampton before he moved there about five months ago for a six month contract position at NASA. Jones is a graduate engineering student at the University of Washington, but when he found out he got the job at NASA, he took a semester off and moved across the country. He’s researching acoustics, which includes predicting turbulence that comes off of jetstreams.
He accepted the job amidst massive layoffs at the Kennedy Space Center, so his concern for his job isn’t new.
“NASA is always getting their budget cut.... My department was pretty prepared for the furlough. We were getting emails starting two to three weeks before the deadline. We just kept getting more and more emails, and finally we had a Q&A at work.”
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He said that his coworkers didn’t seem worried. “They’re older scientists. Most of them are not supporting three kids or something like that… the shutdown procedure was pretty simple. It was just… shut down your computer and take your bananas out of the fridge.”
Jones described a scene more humorous than tragic: scientists leisurely shutting down their computers and getting their coffee makers out of the kitchen.
He said his boss was sure the government would reach a resolution at the last minute. “He was actually shocked that it went through.”
Jones doesn't blame the law that started it all. He said, “I feel like Obamacare is a pretty good law overall, but I don’t understand how complex it is. I know it’s a 10,000 page bill, and basic explanations don’t cover everything. The house and senate are going to agree on something, and ultimately what they say goes. From that perspective, I will just watch.”
With two months left in his contract, Jones said that the shutdown could quickly become more serious for him. “I’m locked into an apartment here. If this lasts weeks, I’ll have to look for another job.”