Budget cut for NASA?

David Spain wrote:
Maybe NASA will be re-directed to the COTS approach and contract
launch services with a man-rated the Dragon capsule?

It certainly does make a major opening for the COTS approach to things.


Would Obama consider spining off ISS services to a quasi-public
corporation ala Amtrak and move NASA over to being more like
its NACA predecessor?

It would be great if that could happen, but NASA seems so dysfunctional
at the moment that it might be better to just kill it and start over
with something new.
About the only part of it that still does competent work is JPL and its
unmanned space probes. The rest of it is a bloated and unfocused mess
that seems primarily designed to ship tax dollars to as many
congressional districts, universities, and aerospace companies as
possible so they can develop technologies that aren't really needed at
the moment for any promulgated aerospace mission.

Pat

On Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:32:02 -0600, Pat Flannery
wrote:


About the only part of it that still does competent work is JPL and its
unmanned space probes.

How far is Curiosity overbudget and behind schedule again?

Brian

Brian Thorn wrote:
About the only part of it that still does competent work is JPL and its
unmanned space probes.

How far is Curiosity overbudget and behind schedule again?

They did botch it with that one, but that was because they got carried
away with making it into some sort of atomic super rover rather than
just a step up from the MER's.
It was also dumb to just build one MSL and have all their eggs in one
basket if it crashes on landing.
Still, compared to NASA's manned efforts since the Shuttle, the unmanned
spacecraft have been doing very well indeed - with the MER's ranking
right up there with the Voyagers as our most successful spacecraft ever.

Pat

On Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:09:33 -0600, Pat Flannery
wrote:

Brian Thorn wrote:
About the only part of it that still does competent work is JPL and its
unmanned space probes.

How far is Curiosity overbudget and behind schedule again?

They did botch it with that one,

....and Mars Observer, Mars Polar Lander, Mars Climate Orbiter, and
Genesis...

Brian

Pat Flannery writes:
David Spain wrote:
Maybe NASA will be re-directed to the COTS approach and contract
launch services with a man-rated the Dragon capsule?

It certainly does make a major opening for the COTS approach to things.


Would Obama consider spining off ISS services to a quasi-public
corporation ala Amtrak and move NASA over to being more like
its NACA predecessor?

It would be great if that could happen, but NASA seems so dysfunctional at the
moment that it might be better to just kill it and start over with something
new.

There is a possible precedent. If United Space Alliance or its equiv. would
accept a money-losing contract to support the ISS using a COTS launcher and
capsule, with the difference made up by the govt, that would be one way around
the ISS support dilemma and would perhaps be a more efficient way to directly
fund ISS support w/o the overhead of NASA centers not directly involved in ISS
ops.

Those NASA centers better find a good reason to exist if/when the NACA
conversion happens.

Dave

On Nov 17, 8:54*am, Pat Flannery wrote:
This would pretty much end Constellation and even kill off Ares and
Orion in LEO:http://nasawatch.com/archives/2009/1...re-a-10-b.html

Pat

The USAF could easily take over, as should have been in charge to
begin with.

We're already told less than 1% of the truth as is, so what's the
difference if it were run by our USAF?

~ BG

On Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:54:25 -0600, Pat Flannery
wrote:

This would pretty much end Constellation and even kill off Ares and
Orion in LEO:
http://nasawatch.com/archives/2009/1...re-a-10-b.html

Pat

It could. However, the oroginal source article .....

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...,4658928.story

..... makes the point -- which shouldn't be surprising -- that
President Obama probably won't make a decision about human sapceflight
until February. And remember, this is the guy who makes stirring
speeches but keeps details close to the vest until too late. He's
also been known to change things depending on how much controversy he
runs into. The words "public option" come to mind.

I am not saying that he won't kill Orion Ares or that he will, just
that true to form, he's going to play it as close to the vest for as
long as possible, regardless of what little dribs or drabs come out
now and then. He did it during the campaign and he's doing it as
president.

So as nerve-wracking as the next few months will be for NASA
employees, maybe those of us whose jobs DON'T hang on it should calm
down a little. Granted, I keep doing "Obama Space Policy" searches in
Dogpile all the time. But pontificating about what WILL or WON'T
happen when Obama may not have even made up his mind yet may just be a
little counterproductive. Just a thought.

Michael Gallagher writes:

So as nerve-wracking as the next few months will be for NASA
employees, maybe those of us whose jobs DON'T hang on it should calm
down a little. Granted, I keep doing "Obama Space Policy" searches in
Dogpile all the time. But pontificating about what WILL or WON'T
happen when Obama may not have even made up his mind yet may just be a
little counterproductive. Just a thought.

So, right now we're in a quantum superposition where all outcomes are possible!
Why decide until you actually look into the treasure chest and see the cash?
And why force the system into needless de-coherence with idle speculation!

Everyone enjoying the Constellation Lunar Base Program so far?

:-)

Dave

On Nov 23, 5:59*pm, David Spain wrote:
Michael Gallagher writes:
So as nerve-wracking as the next few months will be for NASA
employees, maybe those of us whose jobs DON'T hang on it should calm
down a little. *Granted, I keep doing "Obama Space Policy" searches in
Dogpile all the time. *But pontificating about what WILL or WON'T
happen when Obama may not have even made up his mind yet may just be a
little counterproductive. *Just a thought.

So, right now we're in a quantum superposition where all outcomes are possible!
Why decide until you actually look into the treasure chest and see the cash?
And why force the system into needless de-coherence with idle speculation!

Everyone enjoying the Constellation Lunar Base Program so far?

:-)

Dave

The only treasure chest cash to behold is an overdrawn credit card
that's drawn on the China National Bank.

Our "Constellation Lunar Base" is a joke, mostly because we don't have
the basics needed to back any of it. We don't even have Selene L1 to
work with, much less a viable fly-by-rocket lander or any Saturn VX.

~ BG

It's inevitable. Profitable programs are still in operation.
Most would rather go watch a couple of dudes and bad ass hoes kick the
**** out of an entire war-like conflict with excellent sound and AV at
the theater.
Rather than NASA's someday, don't mind the crippling breeze. "Like my
Car!".


On Nov 17, 10:54*am, Pat Flannery wrote:
This would pretty much end Constellation and even kill off Ares and
Orion in LEO:http://nasawatch.com/archives/2009/1...re-a-10-b.html

Pat