Bob Zimmerman has the latest. Space policy will continue to be a mess until someone with vision for it is put into place (and probably even then). It’s not at all clear that Duffy knows which end the fire comes out of.
Bob Zimmerman has the latest. Space policy will continue to be a mess until someone with vision for it is put into place (and probably even then). It’s not at all clear that Duffy knows which end the fire comes out of.
If SLS/Artemis continues on it current “trajectory” we could be in for another national space disaster. It would either mercifully kill astronauts on ascent or descent, or far, far worse, leave them stranded in space without hope of rescue. While this would likely end “manned/crewed” NASA programs there is an even worse possibility…
SpaceX needs to get out in front of this now. Either with a plan for attempted rescue via Starship or more likely a whitepaper that explains why a cis-lunar rescue is not possible using SpaceX technology as it currently stands. Otherwise the Musk haters, should a disaster ensue, will be coming for him & SpaceX instead of the faceless NASA bureaucrats that allowed such a mission to go forward.
Rescue just isn’t in the NASA playbook and never has been. The Elon heaters will be coming after him and anything he has to do with; rain or shine, hell or high water.
Any sort of SpaceX rescue plan would further serve to show the absurdity of the whole SLS/Artemis (words fail). If SpaceX could rescue on short notice, even politicians might question why NASA can only launch on years notice for billions per.