Scaled Composites - AirLaunch LLC win small part of NASA CEV contract

On Fri, 10 Sep 2004 17:47:56 GMT, (Derek Lyons) wrote:

Joe Strout wrote:

This is really cool. It's only $3M, but that's still significant --
only a half-dozen other firms were given equivalent grants. That
indicates that at least some at NASA are receptive to this highly
commercial approach.

It's a contract for a study. Just like hundreds? thousands? that NASA
has entered into over the years covering everything from a three man
orbiting capsule to speculative propulsion concepts like warp drive.
It's utterly unidicative of NASA support for anything.

Move along, nothing to see here.


Yea, but I bet the study produces some real pretty pictures. ;-)

- Rusty

Rusty B wrote:

On Fri, 10 Sep 2004 17:47:56 GMT, (Derek Lyons) wrote:

It's a contract for a study. Just like hundreds? thousands? that NASA
has entered into over the years covering everything from a three man
orbiting capsule to speculative propulsion concepts like warp drive.
It's utterly unidicative of NASA support for anything.

Move along, nothing to see here.



Yea, but I bet the study produces some real pretty pictures. ;-)

Yeah! When do their PowerPoint slides go on sale?

I don't know, I have some re-founded faith in NASA - from what I've
been able to see there is a new culture brewing, and it just might
happen!

"Jake Gissendanner" wrote in message ...
I don't know, I have some re-founded faith in NASA - from what I've
been able to see there is a new culture brewing, and it just might
happen!

Armadillo made a pitch for the H&RT BAA, but we weren't asked to
submit a proposal:

http://www.armadilloaerospace.com/n....ws?news_id=276

Just today I got some feedback from a NASA contractor saying that you
were basically required to be partnered with other companies / NASA
centers / universities to have a chance. That is interesting. They
are essentially requiring you to be an inefficient entity.


John Carmack
www.armadilloaerospace.com

On 13 Sep 2004 19:36:55 -0700, in a place far, far away,
(John Carmack) made the phosphor on my monitor
glow in such a way as to indicate that:

Armadillo made a pitch for the H&RT BAA, but we weren't asked to
submit a proposal:

http://www.armadilloaerospace.com/n....ws?news_id=276

Just today I got some feedback from a NASA contractor saying that you
were basically required to be partnered with other companies / NASA
centers / universities to have a chance. That is interesting. They
are essentially requiring you to be an inefficient entity.

Welcome to the world of government contracting

Rand Simberg wrote:
(John Carmack) glowed:

Armadillo made a pitch for the H&RT BAA, but we weren't asked to
submit a proposal:

http://www.armadilloaerospace.com/n....ws?news_id=276

Just today I got some feedback from a NASA contractor saying that you
were basically required to be partnered with other companies / NASA
centers / universities to have a chance. That is interesting. They
are essentially requiring you to be an inefficient entity.

Welcome to the world of government contracting

That is not the single right magic formula, however.

I was partnered with not one, not two, but three other companies
for some directed research in vertical lander/vertical takeoff
stages for lunar missions, two of which are Really Well Known
(but not Armadillo, alas... sorry, but your motors aren't
good enough Isp).

We did not get invited past the NOI round into the detailed
proposal round. I got the exact same boilerplate response
as John did.

On the plus side, some companies that clearly do deserve
to be making H&RT detailed proposals did get into that round
and good on them.

Also, good on everyone associated with t-Space, Andrews,
Draper Labs, and Schafer, who got CE&R contracts.

Here's to a dinosaur-free downselect (unlikely,
but we can dream...).


-george william herbert