Head of NASA a SF writer?

How plausible woud it have been, for the head on NASA in the 1950s or later, to have been a science fiction writer, such as Robert Heinlein, or Issac Asimov, and how would that have changed the timeline?
 
Asimov might be pluasible. He was a Dr. of Chemistry after all, and in the 50s he gave up teaching to become a full time writer. If he got tired, he might go job searching again, though he did lack experience, only teachning for 6 years I believe, and not as a full professor, but as an associate. I can't remember, but I think he might have specialized in biological chemistry too, which might hurt his chances.

All in all kinda iffy.
 
Asimov might be pluasible. He was a Dr. of Chemistry after all, and in the 50s he gave up teaching to become a full time writer. If he got tired, he might go job searching again, though he did lack experience, only teachning for 6 years I believe, and not as a full professor, but as an associate. I can't remember, but I think he might have specialized in biological chemistry too, which might hurt his chances.

All in all kinda iffy.
To be fair, those two were just the first I thought of, rather than to only ones allowed by the OP.
 
Well, Willy Ley wrote at least one SF story.
And, if Theodroe von Karman were to become head of NASA, it's likely that at least one major SF fan might be working with him. John Whiteside Parsons, who was friends with Robert Heinlein and others- including an ex-naval officer named Lafayette Hubbard, who Parson would do a rather unusual project with...
 
Heinlein and Niven are libertarians and would do everything to kill NASA. At best they'd start a mega X-Prize program, but it simply wasn't technically possible before it started in OTL.

Benford would be... boring (as his books, har har). The guy is pessimistic and realistic enough that would likely try to minimize manned space flight. Also expect "boring" space probes (non visible light observatories, space probes without cameras, such wonderfull PR triumphs OTL NASA is capable:mad:).

Maybe Asimov, he is a biochemist, not very NASA administrator material.

Hmm... Have Clarke take US citizenship and dont ever even notice there is a closet, let alone come out of it.
 
Jerry Pournelle was involved in the very early idea phase of SDI.

If Reagan was convinced that a big part of the road to SDI was though NASA having a right-wing sci fi guy with a rocket science background in charge might make sense.:cool:

Pournelle was also a big proponent of the Thor system...:D
 
Pournelle is another libertarian that would just looove to kill NASA. Project Thor is a inaccurate misinterpretation. Honest data and reports tell of total KE delivered at best equal to JDAM, and delivery time over a hour or a hour and half, at a price per a single projectile close to a F-22. Too useless and too expensive. For a civilization that has $100/kg @ LEO lauch costs, its feasible, for us, its hopeless.
 
Pournelle is another libertarian that would just looove to kill NASA. Project Thor is a inaccurate misinterpretation. Honest data and reports tell of total KE delivered at best equal to JDAM, and delivery time over a hour or a hour and half, at a price per a single projectile close to a F-22. Too useless and too expensive. For a civilization that has $100/kg @ LEO lauch costs, its feasible, for us, its hopeless.

Every man has a price.

And if Reagan gave Pournelle the chance to significantly advance space capacity as part a SDI or related programe I suspect he would sell out his "libertarian" prinicples so fast he could personally test the FTL barrier!;)
 
Getting Porunelle in charge of SDI might be only way to have USSR not loose Cold War with a POD after 1980. USA will be beyond bankrup with esteemed Dr. Pournelle's ideas.

For starters, Safeguard and Sentinel on a unprecedented scale (all across USA), ABM laser chains across all USA oceanic borders to defend from SLBMs. Brilliant pebbles, orbital lasers, X-Ray bomb pumped lasers. And they were reccomending that as a minimum. :D
Defending from 20 to 30 thousand warheads , in a way that can realistically called defense and survival, is impossible, but they would have tried anyway.

Yup, have Pournelle and Teller to lead SDI from a POD in 1980. will have hilarious economic consequences.
 
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