Now that’s what I call turnaround:
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 25, 2024
Category Archives: Space
Phil McAlister
…has been reassigned. A lot of speculation as to the reason and timing in this thread.
It’s kind of wild that the NASA official who is arguably most responsible for SpaceX getting a commercial crew contract a decade ago is getting pushed out at the same time Dragon saves the agency’s astronauts.https://t.co/IwPeRs1x8T
— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) August 24, 2024
It’s unclear to me whether he is being blamed for Starliner, or if this is Boeing’s revenge for the NASA decision to rescue with Crew Dragon. But if the latter, it would have been pressure coming from Boeing’s friends on the Hill.
[Sunday-morning update]
Will Boeing ever deliver on its contract?
With all the talk a decade ago about how SpaceX wouldn’t deliver and how prudent it was to give the lion’s share of the funds to Boeing, there should be plenty of crow to go around.
[Update a few minutes later]
Boeing was paid billions more than SpaceX to be seven years late on a mission it could not complete . . . And will now be rescued from total disaster by SpaceX
— Ashlee Vance (@ashleevance) August 25, 2024
Never forget, many bureaucrats wanted to sole source all of this to Boeing. pic.twitter.com/QEJ0ERuDq8
[Update late morning]
Some may be wondering what I think about the Starliner decision in the context of my book and our need to be willing to accept higher levels of risk. The point of the book was not that we should be reckless, but that the risk must match the reward.
— SafeNotAnOption (@SafeNotAnOption) August 25, 2024
There was no payoff in risking the astronaut's lives to come home in a flawed vehicle, other than to Boeing's pride (which would be an empty vessel by now if they had a smidgen of self awareness) and their bottom line.
— SafeNotAnOption (@SafeNotAnOption) August 25, 2024
Homer Hickam
…relates an interesting experience in dealing with the government about which I am immensely unsurprised.
The Latest Starliner Issue
Boeing’s and SpaceX’s suits are incompatible.
[Update a while later]
Peter Hague has some thoughts on leaving people behind.
[Late-morning update]
Russia to the rescue!
Will They Do A Catch Attempt?
The latest from Starbase:
The “Crisis In Cosmology”
The Webb telescope may have solved it.
I think it was actually more interesting when it was a clear disparity, because that might have been an opportunity to learn some new physics (and new physics will be required if we’re to venture beyond the solar system).
Starliner
Jeff Foust has the latest at The Space Review.
An idle thought: If Boeing bails, is it possible that some other entity could pick up where it left off with Starliner and make money?
More On Israel And Space
I just ran across this interview from a month or so ago, in which my name is liberally taken in vain.
Boeing And SLS
The fiasco continues.
But hey, let’s keep giving them billions of taxpayer dollars for a launch system that is behind schedule and that no one needs except Boeing and its pet Congresspeople.
[Update a few minutes later]
More from Eric Berger.
[Update a while later]
This seems relevant: Our crisis of institutional incompetence. Fortunately, SpaceX doesn’t suffer from this. Yet.
[Update mid morning]
Thoughts on Boeing and the defense implications from Jared Isaacman.
Some additional context: the headlines of stranded astronauts are unfair and misleading, but not necessarily clickbait, as I think the public has a genuine interest in the situation. My comments on Starliner are based entirely on what is in the public domain and has been… https://t.co/KDPd7yjMJS
— Jared Isaacman (@rookisaacman) August 10, 2024
And yes, it is probably the most consequential safety decision NASA has made since Columbia.
[Late-morning update]
Has NASA’s safety culture changed since Columbia?
[Afternoon update]
The fall of Boeing is complete.
Oh, I don’t know. I think that they still have some room below.
The Second Space Race
A review of Greg Autry’s and Peter Navarro’s new book on China. Greg gave me a copy last Saturday at an event in downtown LA, but I haven’t read it yet.
[Update a while later]
“The book serves as both a wake-up call and a reminder of the importance of space exploration.”
I hate that phrase. It’s the importance of space development. Exploration is just a means to that end.