…from Clark Lindsey. I have to say that Sally Ride has risen considerably in my esteem in the past couple months. And I’m a little disappointed, but not shocked that Bo Bejmuk (with whom I worked at Rockwell) doesn’t quite seem to get it. Operational costs are key. NASA simply can’t expect to just have money shoved at them.
[Update a few minutes later]
Lindsey versus Coppinger. It’s quite the beat down.
I was going to respond, but haven’t had the time. I read Rob’s stuff, and sometimes I just shake my head. He has an apparently massive capability to delude himself on both the politics and the economics. He’s been whistling past Ares I’s graveyard for months.
I’m not sure, Rand. The ability of Senators, Congressmen and Presidents to absolutely and completely ignore economics when making political judgements seems to be boundless. So Rob’s notions about whether we keep Ares aren’t entirely farfetched. Sufficient stupidity by Congress would certainly lead to that result. And both as a body and, in many cases as individuals, there is more than sufficient stupidity.
Yours,
Tom
Enough stupidity to double the NASA budget?
Stupidity? Sure plenty to go around, but there isn’t enough return in terms of the political payoff to bother.
> I read Rob’s stuff, and sometimes I just shake my head. He has an apparently massive capability to delude himself on both the politics and the economics. He’s been whistling past Ares I’s graveyard for months.
Given Rob Coppinger’s past work, I’m surprised his post didn’t have a title like “Augustine Committee delivers wholehearted endorsement of Ares I as best way forward”
Tom, politicians may be too dumb to understand economics, but no one’s too dumb to understand accounting. “It costs too damn much” is something anyone can understand.
Enough stupidity to double the NASA budget?
Easily.
Sure plenty to go around, but there isn’t enough return in terms of the political payoff to bother.
Sometimes our politicians are so desperate to spend money they will spend on any old thing. Remember the stimulus package?
Yours,
Tom
“It costs too damn much” is something anyone can understand.
I would have agreed until recently. Our current government gives me no reason to believe that they understand that phrase.
Yours,
Tom
Sometimes our politicians are so desperate to spend money they will spend on any old thing. Remember the stimulus package?
NASA spending doesn’t pay off powerful Democrat constituencies, other than possible the swing state of Florida. Keeping Alabama happy is in fact not going to help them much, particularly in light of current polls.
NASA spending doesn’t pay off powerful Democrat constituencies, other than possible the swing state of Florida. Keeping Alabama happy is in fact not going to help them much, particularly in light of current polls.
Did NASA really screw up so badly that they concentrated their jobs program in only a few states with only one party representing them? If so, they deserve those budget cuts! I thought they have plenty of ex-Pentagon types. Did they miss all the ones with political smarts?
Yours,
Tom
Did NASA really screw up so badly that they concentrated their jobs program in only a few states with only one party representing them?
There are a lot of jobs in California, but the California economy is so large and diversified (or at least used to be) that the delegation doesn’t give a rat’s patoot about space. The places that are most important are the places where there isn’t much else going on (i.e., Alabama, Mississipi, Utah).
Rand,
Regarding Bo, it is important to remember that he was one of the more vocal proponents of giving commercial space guys a shot at doing crew launch.
~Jon
Yeah, Jon, I know Bo. I like Bo. His heart is in the right place. But he’s spent a lot of time on the dark side…
Tom, politicians may be too dumb to understand economics, but no one’s too dumb to understand accounting. “It costs too damn much” is something anyone can understand.
Not this Congress or Administration as witnessed by the stimulus package, Cap and Trade, and ObamaCare. Million, billion, trillion – what’s the difference to them?