5 thoughts on “Understanding Space Policy”

  1. Can someone help me out on this?

    There was a discussion on Instapundit about the now April 1 launch of Artemis II, with some speculating about whether the crew or the astronaut corps has any willingness to not go forward with the mission.

    I posted a “humble brag” that when Roger Boisjoly spoke on the UW-Madison campus, my hand sprang up in the question period to get in the first question.

    I spoke that I was taking private pilot training and that it was impressed upon me what the Federal Aviation Rules (FARs) say about the pilot in command (PIC) bearing both ultimate authority and responsibility on whether a flight takes place. Roger Boisjoly responded, “The Astronaut Corps long ago gave up on that one.”

    The next day, the Cap Times newspaper ran, “Space Shuttle whistleblower says astronauts have no say in safety of flight” or something to that effect. Yes, it is a bit more complicated than that, and yes, Gell-Mann effect, but I was there, asking the question and hearing Mr. Boisjoly’s response, which I understood to mean that the crew was not in the loop of the infamous phone call the night before where NASA officials asked Thiokel engineers to “put on their management hat” about the launch decision.

    Someone tried to contradict me that there is something called an FFR where the crew very much has input on whether a flight takes place, but I don’t have any knowledge of how that takes place or took place with Challenger. I know what question I asked, whether someone on the crew is PIC with both the authority and responsibility granted by the FARs to crews in civil aviation, and I heard what Roger Boisjoly told me, that the crews “learned” to delegate that authority if they wanted to be astronauts and be able to journey into space.

    We are in a Challenger moment about to launch a craft where grapefruit-sized chunks came out of the heat shield on the un-crewed test. Rand’s fine Web site has a higher-level of informed commentary than Glenn’s esteemed site, so what say you?

  2. “ Boisjoly told me, that the crews “learned” to delegate that authority if they wanted to be astronauts and be able to journey into space.”

    George Abbey behind that?

  3. This is when I regret the focus my day job calls upon.

    Not necessarily that I would *want* to become a Space Policy wonk, but that I do regret often not being in a position to “do the homework”.

    1. Just skim it. She lays it out pretty well. Hit a couple main paragraphs, read the section headings and bullet points, and pop in to read things that strike your interest.

      There is one part that gets a little confusing, when she goes into all the layers of bureaucracy but I think that is intentional.

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