Posted: Sun, Jun 24, 2018, 10:13 AM ET (1413 GMT)
The White House has asked NASA to study converting one or more of its field centers into more independent organizations. The proposal, part of a broader package of proposed government reforms, would examine the benefits and drawbacks of turning government-operated centers into federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs), which are owned and funded by the government but operated by a contractor. JPL, run by Caltech for NASA, is the agency's current sole FFRDC. A 2004 report by the Aldridge Commission also suggested turning NASA centers into FFRDCs as an alternative to closing one or more centers, but the administration and Congress did not act on that recommendation.

Related Links:

•  SpaceNews article
•  Office of Management and Budget statement