Eric Berger has the latest.
@SciGuySpace Part of that history was the idiotic policy in the early 90s of telling USAF to use expendables, and assigning reusables to NASA, which resulted in the disastrous X-33 and X-34 programs, which "proved" that reusables couldn't be done.
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) July 27, 2018
Isn’t Congress a little late to the table? SpaceX can already compete for military launches.
Also considering Berger’s hostility toward Republicans and Republicans perceived hostility toward Musk, perhaps they should get a little explicit credit here rather than the generic and far too inclusive term, “Congress”?
The ability of most journalists to forget anything but winning in politics is legion. However, Eric still seems to rag on this less than his editors would like. If the term “Republican was used where it gave credit, it would simply be edited out.
Congress is *very* late to the table. That is because of LBJian politics from NASA Center patron pols In Florida, Alabama, and Texas. The confirmation bias of analysis conducted before 2016 by Old Space analysts wouldn’t have resulted in any changes, anyway.
Note that the bill asks for analysis of whether reusability is lowering prices, which is what ULA’s patrons have been denying ever since ULA was formed. Before 2016, this would simply have been something to provide Senator Shelby more arguments. Even now, it is not certain the conclusion will be favorable for reusables, depending on who does the analysis.
Note that the bill asks for analysis of whether reusability is lowering prices, which is what ULA’s patrons have been denying ever since ULA was formed.
Congress should be asking why it costs so much more to service the government than it does to service private industry and then get NASA and the military to lower costs on their end.
Even now, it is not certain the conclusion will be favorable for reusables, depending on who does the analysis.
You can bet they’ll tag on the full price of keeping KSC facility functional to provide a launch pad, and the full price of JSC to provide government engineering oversight. And then you’ll see a departmental breakdown for expendables if facility costs are included at all.
Sorry to go off-topic, but I just left a couple of comments on the Amelia Earhart thread. I only saw it today.
Perhaps some in Congres – even some of the “LBJians” – have noticed not only the now quite impressive pile of facts that SpaceX continues to stack on the table but also that the USAF has decisively displaced NASA as SpaceX’s best bestie over the past two years.
I will never forget Antonio Elias’ closing line in a talk he gave some time ago: “Friends don’t let friends develop reusable launch vehicles.”
He’s a funny guy.
Yes, I remember arguing with him about that in the late nineties (after the X-34 debacle).