On Tue, 17 Feb 2004, Reed Snellenberger wrote:

"Jacques van Oene" wrote in news:jrtYb.68812$A7.6608
@amsnews05.chello.com:


X-43A FLIGHT DELAYED

etc.


Okay, we've got X-33, X-34, X-37, X-38, and X-43 that've either failed or
had big-time problems. Were there any X-type space-related projects during
the Clinton era that succeeded?

X-37 and X-34 I'd not describe either of those as failures or suffering
from showstopper technical issues the way X-43 and X-33 did. There was
nothing on X-34 that could not have been overcome with time, and a
relatively small amount of additional money as compared with X-33, for
instance.

And to say that there is something peculiar over this is to ignore past
X-programs that also suffered failures, were cancelled before they could
fly, ect.

I'm having a hard time coming up with a single one that's on schedule, much
less succeeded. (I suppose X-38 succeeded, in that testing airframe landed
on its chute).

X-38 is on it's own as an X-project in this catagory. There were no
significant failures in the program, and only minimal overruns in the
budget. Even the schedule for flight milestones wasn't so bad as far as
slippages was concerned. Yet dispite all of that, it was still cancelled.
Now we do not have a near term program to replace/augment Soyuz as the
station lifeboat.
-Mike