--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In 1966, NASA took over in space, and it…" description: "\"In 1966, NASA took over in space, and it has been a bureaucratic mess ever since.\" — Chuck Yeager" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/chuck-yeager-17185_bureaucratic_in-1966-nasa-took-over-in-space-and-it-h_26171.png" --- # In 1966, NASA took over in space, and it has been a… ![“In 1966, NASA took over in space, and it has been a bureaucratic mess ever since.” quote by Chuck Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/chuck-yeager-17185_bureaucratic_in-1966-nasa-took-over-in-space-and-it-h_26171.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/chuck-yeager-17185_bureaucratic_in-1966-nasa-took-over-in-space-and-it-h_26171.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/chuck-yeager-17185_bureaucratic_in-1966-nasa-took-over-in-space-and-it-h_26171.png) > “In 1966, NASA took over in space, and it has been a bureaucratic mess ever since.” [Chuck Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-yeager/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques NASA’s management, suggesting that its dominance since 1966 has led to inefficient, bureaucratic operations. **In simple terms:** NASA’s growth created bureaucratic inefficiency. Key Takeaway Bureaucracy can hinder organizational effectiveness. Themes bureaucracy space exploration government agencies organizational inefficiency institutional inertia Mood skeptical critical cynical Type political observational When to use this quote - policy analysis - organizational reform - space industry critique - government oversight Key Concepts NASA space program management structure public sector Practical Applications - evaluating agency performance - designing streamlined processes Questions to Reflect On - How does bureaucracy affect innovation? - What reforms could improve NASA’s efficiency? A Different Perspective Some argue NASA’s structure is necessary for safety and coordination, not merely bureaucratic excess. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [NASA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nasa/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) ## Related quotes > [I ran the astronaut school for six years, and I was the commandant and when I finished in '65, 26 of my guys went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-yeager/i-ran-the-astronaut-school-for-six-years-and-i-was-the-commandant-and/) [Chuck Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-yeager/) > [“First, since so much time is spent by people in bureaus working with paper, they may come to set too much store by it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-since-so-much-time-is-spent-by-people-in-bureaus-working-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [OFSTED has made large cuts in the paperwork which schools are asked to provide and further steps to reduce the bureaucratic burden will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/estelle-morris/ofsted-has-made-large-cuts-in-the-paperwork-which-schools-are-asked/) [Estelle Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/estelle-morris/) > [The bureaucratic method of building an integrated Europe has exhausted its potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/the-bureaucratic-method-of-building-an-integrated-europe-has/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [The bureaucratic manager, the consuming aesthete, the therapist, the protester and their numerous kindred occupy almost all the available culturally recognizable roles, the notions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-macintyre/the-bureaucratic-manager-the-consuming-aesthete-the-therapist-the/) [Alasdair MacIntyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-macintyre/) > [In the bureaucratic machine of socialism the way toward promotion is not achievement but the favor of the superiors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/in-the-bureaucratic-machine-of-socialism-the-way-toward-promotion-is/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [We need to call what is happening out of Washington, D.C., what it is: Bureaucratic terrorism: If you want a list of stories, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-shea/we-need-to-call-what-is-happening-out-of-washington-d-c-what-it-is/) [Matt Shea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-shea/) > [The prison industrial complex, to put it in its crassest term, is a system of industrial mass incarceration. So there's what you call bureaucratic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-jarecki/the-prison-industrial-complex-to-put-it-in-its-crassest-term-is-a/) [Eugene Jarecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-jarecki/) > [ \[The Clinton health care initiative is\] washed-over old-time bureaucratic liberalism, or centralized bureaucratic socialism. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/the-clinton-health-care-initiative-is-washed-over-old-time/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [My work is made on lines similar to those of a film production. 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The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [My first company, Pure Software, was exciting and innovative in the first few years and bureaucratic and painful in the last few before it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-hastings/my-first-company-pure-software-was-exciting-and-innovative-in-the/) [Reed Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-hastings/) ## More by Chuck Yeager > [You do what you can for as long as you can, and when you finally can't, you do the next best thing. You back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-yeager/you-do-what-you-can-for-as-long-as-you-can-and-when-you-finally-can-t/) [Chuck Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-yeager/) > [It's your duty to fly the airplane. If you get killed in it, you don't know anything about it anyway. Duty is paramount. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-yeager/it-s-your-duty-to-fly-the-airplane-if-you-get-killed-in-it-you-don-t/) [Chuck Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-yeager/) > [I don't think about life everlasting. If something doesn't have scientific evidence to back it up, I don't believe it. I'm a straight shooter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-yeager/i-don-t-think-about-life-everlasting-if-something-doesn-t-have/) [Chuck Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-yeager/) > [If you want to grow old as a pilot, you've got to know when to push it, and when to back off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-yeager/if-you-want-to-grow-old-as-a-pilot-you-ve-got-to-know-when-to-push-it/) [Chuck Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-yeager/) > [It wasn't that the X-1 would kill you, it was the systems in the X-1 that would kill you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-yeager/it-wasn-t-that-the-x-1-would-kill-you-it-was-the-systems-in-the-x-1/) [Chuck Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-yeager/) > [As we went through mach one, the nose started dropping, so we just cranked that horizontal stabilizer down to keep the nose up. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-yeager/as-we-went-through-mach-one-the-nose-started-dropping-so-we-just/) [Chuck Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-yeager/) > [I have no regrets about my life. People ask, "If you had to do it all over again, would you do it differently?" No.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-yeager/i-have-no-regrets-about-my-life-people-ask-if-you-had-to-do-it-all/) [Chuck Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-yeager/) > [That to me is a bunch of crap trying to shoot guys up into damned space. 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No risk is too great to prevent the necessary job from getting done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-yeager/you-don-t-concentrate-on-risks-you-concentrate-on-results-no-risk-is/) [Chuck Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-yeager/) > [Never wait for trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-yeager/never-wait-for-trouble/) [Chuck Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-yeager/) > [There is no kind of ultimate goal to do something twice as good as anyone else can. It's just to do the job as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-yeager/there-is-no-kind-of-ultimate-goal-to-do-something-twice-as-good-as/) [Chuck Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-yeager/) > [“You get in, You shoot, You get out!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-yeager/you-get-in-you-shoot-you-get-out/) [Chuck Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-yeager/) > [I was always afraid of dying. Always. It was my fear that made me learn everything I could about my airplane and my emergency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-yeager/i-was-always-afraid-of-dying-always-it-was-my-fear-that-made-me-learn/) [Chuck Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-yeager/) [Explore all 38 Chuck Yeager quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-yeager/) ## More Bureaucratic quotes > [My first company, Pure Software, was exciting and innovative in the first few years and bureaucratic and painful in the last few before it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-hastings/my-first-company-pure-software-was-exciting-and-innovative-in-the/) [Reed Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-hastings/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. 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A lot of my work is kind of bureaucratic, endlessly phoning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-work-is-made-on-lines-similar-to-those-of-a-film-production-a-lot/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ \[The Clinton health care initiative is\] washed-over old-time bureaucratic liberalism, or centralized bureaucratic socialism. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/the-clinton-health-care-initiative-is-washed-over-old-time/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [The prison industrial complex, to put it in its crassest term, is a system of industrial mass incarceration. So there's what you call bureaucratic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-jarecki/the-prison-industrial-complex-to-put-it-in-its-crassest-term-is-a/) [Eugene Jarecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-jarecki/) > [We need to call what is happening out of Washington, D.C., what it is: Bureaucratic terrorism: If you want a list of stories, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-shea/we-need-to-call-what-is-happening-out-of-washington-d-c-what-it-is/) [Matt Shea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-shea/) > [In the bureaucratic machine of socialism the way toward promotion is not achievement but the favor of the superiors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/in-the-bureaucratic-machine-of-socialism-the-way-toward-promotion-is/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [The bureaucratic manager, the consuming aesthete, the therapist, the protester and their numerous kindred occupy almost all the available culturally recognizable roles, the notions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-macintyre/the-bureaucratic-manager-the-consuming-aesthete-the-therapist-the/) [Alasdair MacIntyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-macintyre/) > [The bureaucratic method of building an integrated Europe has exhausted its potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/the-bureaucratic-method-of-building-an-integrated-europe-has/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [OFSTED has made large cuts in the paperwork which schools are asked to provide and further steps to reduce the bureaucratic burden will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/estelle-morris/ofsted-has-made-large-cuts-in-the-paperwork-which-schools-are-asked/) [Estelle Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/estelle-morris/) > [“First, since so much time is spent by people in bureaus working with paper, they may come to set too much store by it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-since-so-much-time-is-spent-by-people-in-bureaus-working-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“And the so-called 'political process' is a fraud: Our elected officials, like our bureaucratic functionaries, like even our judges, are largely the indentured servants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/and-the-so-called-political-process-is-a-fraud-our-elected-officials/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) Browse all 96 Bureaucratic quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In 1966, NASA took over in space, and it has been a bureaucratic mess ever since.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Chuck Yeager" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-yeager/in-1966-nasa-took-over-in-space-and-it-has-been-a-bureaucratic-mess/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bureaucratic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-yeager/in-1966-nasa-took-over-in-space-and-it-has-been-a-bureaucratic-mess/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/chuck-yeager-17185_bureaucratic_in-1966-nasa-took-over-in-space-and-it-h_26171.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/chuck-yeager-17185_bureaucratic_in-1966-nasa-took-over-in-space-and-it-h_26171.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/chuck-yeager-17185_bureaucratic_in-1966-nasa-took-over-in-space-and-it-h_26171.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In 1966, NASA took over in space, and it has been a bureaucratic mess ever since.” — Chuck Yeager", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Chuck Yeager", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-yeager/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In 1966, NASA took over in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-yeager/in-1966-nasa-took-over-in-space-and-it-has-been-a-bureaucratic-mess/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-yeager/in-1966-nasa-took-over-in-space-and-it-has-been-a-bureaucratic-mess/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```