Some thoughts from Popular Mechanics, and from Alan Boyle. Also, Clark has some more.
I would note carefully point five of the PM piece. I don’t think that most people really appreciate just how FUBAR NASA is in its current form.
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Point 5 is indeed surprising and very welcome, but it still perpetuates the myth that super heavy HLV is necessary.
Point 5 is indeed surprising and very welcome, but it still perpetuates the myth that super heavy HLV is necessary.
To what extent is this to provide a fig leaf?
Telling the launch vehicle developers/providers at NASA that they should really be out of a job might be something better left unsaid at this point in time. Not that that would result in any fewer jobs overall – the money would still get spent. Pity new jobs in new congressional districts can not be easily traded for old jobs in old congressional districts…
I am noting a large number of seemingly unaware pro ARES comments on the linked articles. I wonder to what extent the public at large is aware of just how much more expensive NASA launch vehicles are?
It may be partly a fig leaf, but I think it is a harmful one. EELVs seem like the most sensible solution and the smallest one that doesn’t require cryogenic propellant transfer is EELV Phase 1, which ought to be operational more quickly and more cheaply than any SDLV. Insisting on a super heavy HLV slants the field in favour of SDLV. I can’t believe that is a coincidence.
Even EELV Phase 1 is much larger than is necessary, but on the other hand it is the logical result of 1) upgrading an upper stage to an EDS and 2) consolidating Delta and Atlas, both of which are good idea. Higher payload to LEO is just what rolls out, even if you don’t need it. Another advantage is that some payloads that now require a Delta-IV-H could then be launched on a single core Atlas Phase 1.
Another advantage is that the high launch capacity of EELV Phase 1 provides a backstop while we await the emergence of RLVs. Essentially it gives you the advantages of DIRECT without the high financial cost and high opportunity cost of that concept.
Regarding awareness: most people probably aren’t aware of it. More disappointingly some people who know better simply want an SDLV, HLV or government owned launcher for its own sake. And won’t even admit it.
For example: NASA is commonly not allowed to change the size and composition of its workforce or facilities, which limits its ability to save money through the purchase of commercially available products.
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And just what federal or state agency HAS such leeway?
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Mrs. Guillotine is an IT type, in state gov’t currently. I’ve dealt with both state and federal agencies over the years too. So we’ve been there done that with respect to seeing first hand and hearing first hand, about procurement procedures and personnel procedures.
It’s all an insane joke!!
Our state gov’t buys THOUSANDS of new, top of the line desktops and laptops yearly. They buy the same type numbers of cell phones and Blackberrys.
They are NOT allowed to sign a statewide, all encompassing contract with ANY providers. Even though they’ve taken most IT types away from each individual state agency and created a central IT dept. to make things “cheaper and more efficient”.
They can’t do it “cheaper and more efficient”, because the same legislation that created the statewide, centralized IT support system, prohibits them from writing a contract with a single company to supply “X” product or service. Even if those contracts will save MILLIONS of dollars.
The legislature decided, and our ex-Governor concurred, that signing those contracts with Company “A”, might cause Company “B” to get mad and leave our computer company heavy state. That would of course take away jobs for voters who would get PO’d and vote for those other guys, who are currently out of power.
So now they buy that eqpt at the same prices and with the same warranties and support you and I get from walking into Best Buys or by going to the computer seller websites. Genius, huh?
Here’s the Irony.
Both Dell and IBM, have announced “cut backs”. The new Governor (who is actually the old Governor but in a different body) says it’s unfotunate that the economic downturn has caused the cutbacks, but she’s sure her NEW POLICIES will make NC a state companies will flock to to help us get those jobs back.
HOGWASH on state policies. And cutbacks hell!
Dell is CLOSING their 3 year old (never got to full jobs capacity, took the full jobs capacity tax break for 5 years) computer plant and those 1000 jobs are moving off shore. The county and city Dell is leaving have said they are both going to court to get their tax money back. The state has decide not to.
That’s the economic side.
On the employee side it’s worse. I think it’s common knowledge that being a gov’t employee is a ticket to a life long, til death do us part, no one ever gets fired job.
In my wife’s office, one of her co-workers REFUSED to work on a computer problem, after all, it was time to leave for the day. (she has a reputation of being lazy and rude, so no one was surprised when the story broke)
But the problem wasn’t on the computer of some office drone who could wait until Monday. It was the Secretary of an entire State Department she walked out on and was rude to. He was ONLY headed to a business conference in Korea that night, for 10 days, so a “Monday fix” was not even possible. She not only did NOT get fired, she didn’t get a slap on the wrist.
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I’m pretty sure in private industry, if you tell one of the bosses, “…and I don’t care about YOUR business trip, it’s time for ME to leave, it’s Friday and I’m goin’ home, look at the the clock man, it’s 5 o’clock!!” .
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My wife actually got her job in record time, because the job opened up after they did fire a guy for incompetence and for lying about O/T (comp time) hrs worked and for “inaccuracies” on his resume. It took them 4 years to build a cases, get enough paperwork together and enough guts to fire him. ALL after he’d been proven to be incapable of doing the job. He sued and tied them up in court for 3 1/2 years and ultimately he got a fat settlement check for lying on his resume, lying about hrs worked and for NOT having the skills to do the job.
If EVEN the head of a state or federal agency does NOT have the power to fire or lay off, needless or useless employees, or if they can’t fire thieves and liars, certainly they’ll NEVER be able to cut the work force for something as untenable, and as ethereal, as efficiency and cost cutting.
And I know private industry isn’t great at hiring / firing / efficiency as it once was either. But the gov’t is far worse.
My opinion that the Shuttle is going to stick around is still kicking along in the report. I can certainly see them justifying the rebuilding of the shuttle infrastructure as just some kind of stimulus. Why look at all the jobs saved paying people to move the tooling back inside and putting it back together; pssh.
I can certainly see them cannibalizing the remain SSME’s to make some Shuttle C variant in 2015. Then, they will keep their fingers crossed hoping that some other administration will come along and finally fund their Ares V right as they run out of spare parts.
It’s a shame we are still having the same debate that took place in the wake of the Columbia tragedy–all these years later. And the gap widens. Ares was selected in 2005 because it incorporates the Columbia Accident Investigation Board recommendations, and it is the safetest way to fly. We need to stay the course, and we need to close the gap. We can’t continue to fly shuttle much longer.