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Old September 2nd 08, 12:52 PM posted to sci.space.history,sci.space.policy
Greg D. Moore \(Strider\)
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Default Orion PDR slides to mid 2009

"Derek Lyons" wrote in message
...
Alain Fournier wrote:

Derek Lyons wrote:

"Alan Erskine" wrote:

They're having all sorts of problems; is this kind of thing unusual in a
major program? I mean, to have this many problems this early (booster,
CM
etc)...

It's not unusual at all - the capsule programs of the 60's had it just
as bad, as did the Shuttle. The difference it that because of the
'net the problems are visible to thousands of armchair engineers very
nearly in real time.


There is also the difference that in the sixties, those building space
ships were
considered the cutting edge of engineering. Problems were considered
normal.


Given the very tiny number of generations of craft flown, and the
constraints on the craft, and the extreme environments involved, and
the required performance...

They're still on the cutting edge.


I will grant a lot of that. And the fact that much of the generation of
engineers that designed the last US manned space craft is retiring or
retired and even more of the generation that designed the last manned US
manned capsule are retired.

However, I think one can easily argue that with Ares I, they took a design
with known issues and went from there.

And unlike spacecraft design, there are a number of active engineers with
recent experience designing boosters.


Nowadays, people expect engineers to be able to re-solve the problems that
were already solved in the fifties and sixties without much difficulty.


People hold all manner of dammfool ignorant unfounded beliefs.


But one shouldn't also excuse away some of their mistakes either.



D.
--
Touch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh.

http://derekl1963.livejournal.com/

-Resolved: To be more temperate in my postings.
Oct 5th, 2004 JDL




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Greg Moore
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