Space Launch busting budget may fail to reach moon again?

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bmforre
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Space Launch busting budget may fail to reach moon again?

Post by bmforre » Wed Mar 11, 2020 5:44 pm

NASA's main contractor for the Space Launch System rocket is Boeing. Anyone remember the last mainly succesful large project that company did?
The rocket and spacecraft NASA plans to use to get astronauts to the moon could cost $50 billion, according to a government watchdog report released Tuesday — far more than the space agency had said it would need to meet a White House mandate to return to the lunar surface by 2024.
Reported in WaPo.
It was the second time in less than a week that Boeing’s work for NASA has been criticized. On Friday, NASA officials said an investigation of the marred test flight of the company’s Starliner spacecraft in December, when the spacecraft was unable to dock with the International Space Station, had identified major problems with Boeing’s testing procedures. Officials said the investigation led to 61 corrective actions and identified 49 gaps in Boeing’s testing procedures. NASA also determined that it would need to embed its own software experts with Boeing’s team to more rigorously oversee its work and testing.
Wasn't the idea of contracting out projects like this to private industry based on presumed superior skills and practices in industry? If they now must be led by hand while also closely watched by the responsible public agency why not led this agency run the business?

Apollo was a success.
Boeing couldn't even update or replace their good old 737 design.

I assume Trump could never face the revelation that responsible public agencies could be more competent than profit-guided businesses?
Imagine the consequences of allowing such ideas.

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bjn
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Re: Space Launch busting budget may fail to reach moon again?

Post by bjn » Wed Mar 11, 2020 6:18 pm

The main purpose of the SLS was to put money into Boeing’s pocket and the southern states where it’s being be built. Congress tightly specified how it should be built (Use SSMEs! Throw them into the sea!) to keep funnelling pork. It’s been very successful in that regard.

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