19 thoughts on “Heavy-Lift Pork”

  1. Tis some nice thoughts.. the paragraph on DOD and NSA payloads is very backwards though… like, early 80s thinking. I guess there’s still educating to be done on who owns EELV and who pays for most their launches (hint: it has nothing to do with NASA).

  2. Well I hope they decide on something because the US still doesn’t have an HLV of our own, one that can compete with the constant launches of the Energia.

  3. No, not the Proton, the Energia, which was launched twice I think. Oddly, replace its RD-170 strap-on boosters with Thiokol solids and it’s pobably what Congress will come up with.

  4. I’d have no objection to HLV if, and only if, it could achieve a major reduction in payload price per pound compared to available launchers such as Falcon 9. However, it’s certain that current plans for the porklauncher can’t do so, making it worse than useless.

    IMHO payload price per pound to orbit is logical quest; get that down, and opening up space becomes easy.

  5. Arizona, noooooooo.. it’d be like the Falcon 9 Heavy is cheaper than the Falcon 9 per kg to LEO.. it’d be like the proposed SpaceX heavy lift vehicle would be even cheaper than that. It’s kinda like you *expect a bulk discount*.. that’s crazy talk.

  6. Lowest cost per pound is completely irrelevant if the price to access that cost is the same as building a new sports stadium.

  7. “PIGS IN SPAAAACE!”

    High Speed Pigs in Space?

    Heavy Lift High Speed Pulled-Pork!

    Dayum, that sounds good — haven’t had breakfast yet…

  8. Amtrak in spaaaaace! (Think about it. Amtrak and NASA are both arms of the government).

  9. The Senate Launch System will be the first launch vehicle project that is fully pork-rated, no waivers.
    IOC 2011, no gaps in gravy trains will be tolerated.

  10. Since we’re going into full pork mode, why not launch heavy lift from high speed trains?

    Yeah! We can make it a maglev coilgun bifrost bridge to nowhere!

  11. This is what happens when each side tries to make policy on its own. And since its not important to anyone but the government contractors involved there is no reason for either side to give in.

    Really, you couldn’t come up with a better strategy to kill HSF if you tried.

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