"Brian Gaff" wrote in message ...

When I read the item below, it kind of gave me more questions than it
answered. To me the two currently chosen solutions to commercial crew
transport look and feel like just two easy ways out of the current
reliance on Russia. However this craft is more advanced and might be of
more use I'd have thought.What will they do now, is it all going to just be
shelved or what?

More advanced, but less mature.

Dragon represents the brand new "cheap" way of doing things. If it succeeds
(and my guess is it will), it'll really drive down prices. It's fairly
low-risk in mind.

CST-100 is I think a bit higher risk, but Boeing is a known company. So you
know if you throw enough money at them they'll get SOMETHING built.

My guess is CST-100 will make a few flights and then be retired if Dragon
pricing comes in anything like I think it will.

While Dream Chaser is definitely cool and may be the next logical
progression in tech, I think NASA took the right path in keeping things
simpler this time around.



January 5, 2015

NASA Statement on GO Decision to Deny Commercial Crew Contract Protest

NASA issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Government
Accountability Office (GAO) decision to deny a protest Sierra Nevada Corp.,
of Louisville, Colorado, filed Sept. 26, 2014, challenging the agency's
Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) Contract awards made
Sept.
16, 2014, to The Boeing Company, Space Exploration, Houston, and Space
Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX), of Hawthorne, California.

"The GAO has notified NASA that it has denied Sierra Nevada Corporation's
protest of the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability contract awards.
NASA is pleased the GAO's decision allows the agency to move forward and
continue working with Boeing and SpaceX on the Launch America initiative
that
will enable safe and reliable crew transportation to and from the
International Space Station on American spacecraft launched from the United
States, ending the nation's sole reliance on Russia for such
transportation. The case remains under the protective order and blackout
until the GAO releases its decision."


Read the GAO's full statement on its ruling at:

http://www.gao.gov/press/pr_statemen...id_protest.htm

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew Program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew


-end-

Stephanie Schierholz
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100




--
Greg D. Moore http://greenmountainsoftware.wordpress.com/
CEO QuiCR: Quick, Crowdsourced Responses. http://www.quicr.net