Senate Launch System continues to delay development

https://arstechnica.com/science/2019...ellant-depots/

Basically, NASA is so invested in SLS they apparently don't want to develop
other tech.

I love the part about how Falcon 9 Heavy is mythical (at the time) while SLS
isn't...

On Aug/1/2019 Ã* 19:42, Greg (Strider) Moore wrote :
https://arstechnica.com/science/2019...ellant-depots/


Basically, NASA is so invested in SLS they apparently don't want to
develop other tech.

I love the part about how Falcon 9 Heavy is mythical (at the time) while
SLS isn't...

SLS isn't mythical. It is very real. It's a real boondoggle.


Alain Fournier

In article ,
says...

https://arstechnica.com/science/2019...ellant-depots/

Basically, NASA is so invested in SLS they apparently don't want to develop
other tech.

Actually this isn't news about what is happening today. It is news
about what happened years ago when ULA published papers about propellant
depots and how they could develop that technology starting with flying
experiments on Centaur upper stages. This dovetailed nicely with all
their papers about ACES upper stages (reusable, so they would need to be
refueled).

Boeing was furious, at the time, and tried to get ULA's chief scientist
fired! But ULA's CEO, at the time (I don't believe it was Tory Bruno
back then) went to bat for him and he didn't lose his job. But he was
told to never talk about depots again!


Today, NASA signed an agreement with SpaceX to develop in space
refueling technology (presumably for Starship). That conversation on
Twitter is what spurred ULA's former chief scientist to Tweet about the
above.

I love the part about how Falcon 9 Heavy is mythical (at the time) while SLS
isn't...

Yeah, that was always disingenuous considering how much commonality
there is between the (then flying) Falcon 9 and the (then under
development) Falcon Heavy. SLS, by comparison, is pretty much all new
except for the SSMEs they took off of all of the orbiters that are in
museums.

Oh, and Ars Technica, and Eric Berger in particular, publish great
articles about "space". I like their online forums as well.

Jeff
--
All opinions posted by me on Usenet News are mine, and mine alone.
These posts do not reflect the opinions of my family, friends,
employer, or any organization that I am a member of.

On 8/2/2019 7:48 AM, Jeff Findley wrote:
In article ,
says...

Today, NASA signed an agreement with SpaceX to develop in space
refueling technology (presumably for Starship). That conversation on
Twitter is what spurred ULA's former chief scientist to Tweet about the
above.

I love the part about how Falcon 9 Heavy is mythical (at the time) while SLS
isn't...

Yeah, that was always disingenuous considering how much commonality
there is between the (then flying) Falcon 9 and the (then under
development) Falcon Heavy. SLS, by comparison, is pretty much all new
except for the SSMEs they took off of all of the orbiters that are in
museums.


That was an eye-roller for me too, even at the time and of course,
remains so. Just look at the cost per flight numbers. Says it all...

Oh, and Ars Technica, and Eric Berger in particular, publish great
articles about "space". I like their online forums as well.

Jeff


Agreed.

Dave