…is finally coming around on Commercial Crew:
VADM Dyer also appeared to be against the notion of downselecting to one partner ahead of time, as has been intimated as a cost-saving option by some lawmakers.
“The thinking there is: If you need a house, why would you want to build two houses? Why not select one?” added the minutes. “VADM Dyer opined that it is a ‘very complicated house.’ The ASAP believes that competition brings the best of both providers to the fore.
“It also allows NASA to watch these two approaches and companies mature before making a downselect. The Panel stands foursquare in support of competition, as does NASA.”
It was also notable that NASA managers responded by stressing the ongoing discrepancy between the requested budgets for the Program and what has been appropriated.
With the two companies under fixed-price contracts, it was noted that it is important for all to recognize that if NASA does not receive the appropriations that it is counting on, it will have a very significant impact on schedule, and we will end up relying on the Russians beyond the 2017 target.
You don’t say.
What would it take to get a university consortium to co-fund along with SpaceX a Bigelow module as a space station and just be done with all this political nonsense. How close are we getting to a “Salvage-1” scenario?
First you would need to get NASA to stop giving universities free research time aboard ISS. Very few people are willing to pay for something they can get free.
But the New Space community wants NASA to continue subsidizing ISS forever, in the belief that it will evolve into “Alpha Town.” Sigh.
The key thing that’s still lacking is affordable transportation to and from such a station.
This might be quite realistic. With all the talk about inflated college endowments and funds of late they might be interested in splurging a bit on something like this as propaganda and justification to having that kind of money around.
They do not know the meaning of the word competition. No surprise coming from those that don’t know the meaning of the word cut.