It’s a simple divide and conquer strategy. They know their constituent companies cannot compete with the market based companies. It is those companies who are advising them to reduce the competition to one. One is always easier to besmirch and ridicule and legislate against. Two or more competing companies leave open the argument that one of the others will succeed when one might fail or have setbacks. They can’t successfully relegate them all to the ash heap, especially if one or more show concrete results, where they show only PowerPoints.
Yes, competition is wasteful. It’s supposed to be. What is wrong with these morons?
Regarding the astronauts reference to the procurement procedures acquired over decades, all designed to protect the taxpayer and assure a fulfilment of mission requirements, IBM ran its PC business that way, using tons of management rules accumulated across every project they’d attempted, all to ensure success and mitigate the risk of failure. That’s why everyone uses Apple, Dell, Lenovo, HP, and Acer now. Too many rules strangle decision making, increase lead times, and increase costs.
Regarding the astronauts reference to the procurement procedures acquired over decades, all designed to protect the taxpayer and assure a fulfilment of mission requirements,
It’s hard to find an example of a single major (say >$500 million) NASA program of the last 40 years that wasn’t significantly over budget, late or both. So much for the effectiveness of those procurement procedures at protecting the taxpayers. NASA itself examined SpaceX’s numbers and admitted it would’ve cost them many times as much money to develop the Falcon 9 following the established procedures. They probably would’ve blown more than $400 million on meetings and PowerPoint slides alone.
Why does the word “Boeing” keep popping up in my head?
Why do I think Boeing is pushing this and that Congress would squeal like a stuck pig if NASA picked SpaceX?
A sucessful COTS demo in a couple of weeks might have Congress suddenly re-evaluting this position.
I almost wonder if this is brinksmanship in the hopes of a SpaceX failure allolwing Boeig to swoop in and take the whole pie.
It would sure explain why Elon is sweating bullets. There may be more riding on this flight than most imagine.
If this flight fails, I predict the knives will be out for SpaceX.
That being the case, Musk will have little but himself to blame. One does not refer to the people paying one’s bill as resembling the Soviet Politburo and expect that will not be remembered.
Yes, thanks to CCP being on the critical path COTS is no longer a mere test flight program and failure is no longer an option for SpaceX. The next flight by SpaceX must go perfect or poor Elon will be testifying before one grand standing Congressional Committee after another for months about what went wrong while SpaceX’s CRS contract will probably be suspended on “safety” grounds. Not to mention that Governor Romney will milk it as another example of a failed policy by President Obama. The result will be a major setback for New Space, but it was predictable as soon as Constellation was scrapped. Which is why I felt that you needed to keep it going as a distraction.
I thought I was the one suffering from depression. Things always go wrong and have for SpaceX from day one. Things will continue to go wrong because that’s life. They will adapt and overcome. It’s what Elon does.
As for taxpayers footing the bill. I wish I could draw. It would show a horse running from a barn because that horse left the barn a long, long time ago.
To say govt. is over spending has become a parody of itself except it’s no joke.
Hey Thomas… tea party… they’re out to get your guys. …and will.
You’re right, Thomas. I can very easily see that happening.
The thought of those pompous windbags sitting in judgement over a visionary like Elon Musk is a scene straight out of Atlas Shrugged. I only hope he has the gumption to tell them where to shove it.
The picture of Elon as a visionary out of Atlas Shrugged is somewhat clouded by his taking a huge government loan guarantee for Tesla Motors. When I was in the commercial space business, I fought (successfully) against loan guarantees for X-33.
Not to disparage Elon, by the way. When the government throws money at something, it’s difficult to just let it go by…
Yeah, the phrase “taking the King’s shilling” comes to mind…
He’s already told them. He’s not going to let anything interfere with his goal. What has happened is he’s had to learn how the govt. works which has slowed his plans in some respect and increased the pace in other respects. I’ve known people like Elon. Even if or when he looks like he’s bought… he isn’t.
Ken,
Yes, I think COTS was a great learning experience for him and showed the dangers of being stuck to the NASA tar baby.
He could have done multiple revenue generating Dragonlab and development flights in the time its taken to work through the NASA process for this single COTS flight. Yes, I think he has learned a valuable lesson, even creative government contracting is still government contracting…
We agree on this point. Experience is a Bi’atch.
Is it possible for a government employee to blow the whistle on Congress? And if so, to whom?
In theory Congress as a whole is accountable to “we the people”.
So the answer is: no.
Looks like Elon Musk is recognizing that COTS/CCDev/CCP is turning into a dead end. NASA and true space commerce just don’t mix and never will.
SpaceX and Bigelow Aerospace Join Forces to Offer Crewed Missions to Private Space Stations
About time they are moving Beyond NASA and beyond the Great White Elephant in the sky (AKA ISS).
If I recall Bigelow has stated he could get a habitat up in 2-3 years if only he had a service provider. I wonder if SpaceX will have a crewed Dragon ready by then. One thing for sure, they won’t need any NASA documented, inspected, approved, re-inspected, re-documented and fully certified as acceptable docking software to slow them down 🙂
It’s a simple divide and conquer strategy. They know their constituent companies cannot compete with the market based companies. It is those companies who are advising them to reduce the competition to one. One is always easier to besmirch and ridicule and legislate against. Two or more competing companies leave open the argument that one of the others will succeed when one might fail or have setbacks. They can’t successfully relegate them all to the ash heap, especially if one or more show concrete results, where they show only PowerPoints.
Yes, competition is wasteful. It’s supposed to be. What is wrong with these morons?
Regarding the astronauts reference to the procurement procedures acquired over decades, all designed to protect the taxpayer and assure a fulfilment of mission requirements, IBM ran its PC business that way, using tons of management rules accumulated across every project they’d attempted, all to ensure success and mitigate the risk of failure. That’s why everyone uses Apple, Dell, Lenovo, HP, and Acer now. Too many rules strangle decision making, increase lead times, and increase costs.
Regarding the astronauts reference to the procurement procedures acquired over decades, all designed to protect the taxpayer and assure a fulfilment of mission requirements,
It’s hard to find an example of a single major (say >$500 million) NASA program of the last 40 years that wasn’t significantly over budget, late or both. So much for the effectiveness of those procurement procedures at protecting the taxpayers. NASA itself examined SpaceX’s numbers and admitted it would’ve cost them many times as much money to develop the Falcon 9 following the established procedures. They probably would’ve blown more than $400 million on meetings and PowerPoint slides alone.
Why does the word “Boeing” keep popping up in my head?
Why do I think Boeing is pushing this and that Congress would squeal like a stuck pig if NASA picked SpaceX?
A sucessful COTS demo in a couple of weeks might have Congress suddenly re-evaluting this position.
I almost wonder if this is brinksmanship in the hopes of a SpaceX failure allolwing Boeig to swoop in and take the whole pie.
It would sure explain why Elon is sweating bullets. There may be more riding on this flight than most imagine.
If this flight fails, I predict the knives will be out for SpaceX.
That being the case, Musk will have little but himself to blame. One does not refer to the people paying one’s bill as resembling the Soviet Politburo and expect that will not be remembered.
Yes, thanks to CCP being on the critical path COTS is no longer a mere test flight program and failure is no longer an option for SpaceX. The next flight by SpaceX must go perfect or poor Elon will be testifying before one grand standing Congressional Committee after another for months about what went wrong while SpaceX’s CRS contract will probably be suspended on “safety” grounds. Not to mention that Governor Romney will milk it as another example of a failed policy by President Obama. The result will be a major setback for New Space, but it was predictable as soon as Constellation was scrapped. Which is why I felt that you needed to keep it going as a distraction.
I thought I was the one suffering from depression. Things always go wrong and have for SpaceX from day one. Things will continue to go wrong because that’s life. They will adapt and overcome. It’s what Elon does.
As for taxpayers footing the bill. I wish I could draw. It would show a horse running from a barn because that horse left the barn a long, long time ago.
To say govt. is over spending has become a parody of itself except it’s no joke.
Hey Thomas… tea party… they’re out to get your guys. …and will.
You’re right, Thomas. I can very easily see that happening.
The thought of those pompous windbags sitting in judgement over a visionary like Elon Musk is a scene straight out of Atlas Shrugged. I only hope he has the gumption to tell them where to shove it.
The picture of Elon as a visionary out of Atlas Shrugged is somewhat clouded by his taking a huge government loan guarantee for Tesla Motors. When I was in the commercial space business, I fought (successfully) against loan guarantees for X-33.
Not to disparage Elon, by the way. When the government throws money at something, it’s difficult to just let it go by…
Yeah, the phrase “taking the King’s shilling” comes to mind…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King%27s_shilling
…gumption…
He’s already told them. He’s not going to let anything interfere with his goal. What has happened is he’s had to learn how the govt. works which has slowed his plans in some respect and increased the pace in other respects. I’ve known people like Elon. Even if or when he looks like he’s bought… he isn’t.
Ken,
Yes, I think COTS was a great learning experience for him and showed the dangers of being stuck to the NASA tar baby.
He could have done multiple revenue generating Dragonlab and development flights in the time its taken to work through the NASA process for this single COTS flight. Yes, I think he has learned a valuable lesson, even creative government contracting is still government contracting…
We agree on this point. Experience is a Bi’atch.
Is it possible for a government employee to blow the whistle on Congress? And if so, to whom?
In theory Congress as a whole is accountable to “we the people”.
So the answer is: no.
Looks like Elon Musk is recognizing that COTS/CCDev/CCP is turning into a dead end. NASA and true space commerce just don’t mix and never will.
http://spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=37001
SpaceX and Bigelow Aerospace Join Forces to Offer Crewed Missions to Private Space Stations
About time they are moving Beyond NASA and beyond the Great White Elephant in the sky (AKA ISS).
If I recall Bigelow has stated he could get a habitat up in 2-3 years if only he had a service provider. I wonder if SpaceX will have a crewed Dragon ready by then. One thing for sure, they won’t need any NASA documented, inspected, approved, re-inspected, re-documented and fully certified as acceptable docking software to slow them down 🙂