Houston, we have a problem . . .

The Houston Chronicle recently analyzed almost a half-million NASA credit card transactions, totaling more than $265 million in expenditures. While most of the charges appeared to be for legitimate purposes, there were some troubling exceptions, including jewelry, video games, and iPods. Of the 160 or more credit card abuse allegations turned over to NASA investigators in 2007 and 2008, only 25 resulted in disciplinary action. Hopefully, the discipline was more harsh than putting astronauts in diapers and making them drive half-way across the country.

While NASA may have conditioned American taxpayers that paying $600 for a hammer that taxpayers can purchase at Home Depot for $10, I had hoped that NASA was more capable of holding the nuts and bolts of their credit card program together. After all, we sent a man to the moon in the 1969 using computers with less computing power than we have today in a $30 calculator, although NASA would probably pay $1800 for that same calculator.

NASA needs to show they have the Right Stuff and end ALL credit card abuse immediately. How else are we going to be able to pay for those $600 hammers?