chrish

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• Commented on NASA Announces Next SpaceX Dragon Mission to ISS

  @ jafafahots; while Apollo 8 was the first manned launch with the Saturn V, the Apollo and the CSM got an eleven day manned workout with Apollo 7. So while it was a "new" booster, the spacecraft itself had been...

• Commented on There is Something Amiss with MSL's Drill After All

  Planetary Protection? We don't need no stinking Planetary Protection. In a recent "Air & Space Smithsonian" article (http://www.airspacemag.com/space-exploration/Visionary-Launchers-Employees.html) the following was reported about everyone's hero, Elon Musk: "A lifelong space enthusiast with degrees in physics and business, Musk wanted to...

• Commented on SpaceX Launch Site Updates

  My gosh, five schools within a five mile radius of the proposed test facility for Grasshopper. There is a world of difference between doing a run up of an engine bolted to a test stand and developing a cutting edge...

• Commented on NASA IG Refuses To Comment on Official Abuse of Elderly Woman

  I suspect that the lack of "official" comment on this issue has more to do with with a battalion of lawyers scrambling to put a lid on it than it does with personal integrity on the part of Paul Martin....

• Commented on SpaceX Unveils Fully Reusable Falcon 9 Plans

  There is no doubt that Elon / SpaceX are doing wonderful things - their success so far has been nothing but amazing. However, while a dream or a vision of the future is a "must have" I hope that they...

• Commented on Space Commerce: NASA Changes Its Mind - Again

  For better or for worse, "Commercial Space" just took a big step towards playing on the same field as "Old Space" It will be interesting to see how much the transition from SAA to FAR will cut into "Commercial Space's"...

• Commented on Restoring Confidence in Soyuz

  Somebody, likely Keith, said: "Neither Did NASA's Ares 1 program. Hmm ... which program put something into orbit and recovered it - sooner - and cheaper - and can now accelerate its scheduled to dock with ISS earlier than planned...

• Commented on Progress Mission To ISS Fails

  A completely off the wall question: from the perspective of the launch vehicle, are the Progress missions totally funded by the Russians as a part of their contribution to the ISS project, or does the US and other International Partners...

• Commented on Musk Talks About Getting to Mars

  @sc220 - come on now, of course he is staying clear of nuclear propulsion. Elon and SpaceX specialize in the reuse and logical evolution of existing technologies. There is no way he is going to get involved in the risk...

• Commented on What Name Would You Pick for Pluto's Newly-Discovered Moon?

  Given NASA's current it will likely be named Dinah (as in Dinah the Dachshund - Pluto's girlfriend)...

• Commented on Attempt to Save Webb From Cancellation Fails

  Papa - you are right - while contractors are not completly innocent, the issue I was referring to was more pointed at NASA civil service managers - after all, they are the ones who conceive the projects, and in my...

• Commented on Attempt to Save Webb From Cancellation Fails

  I'm not going to make a judgment on whether the JWST project should be canceled, funded or left to rot. I just don't know enough about the technical details on what it would take to get from its current state...

• Commented on Final Atlantis Up Close Photo Op - Part 1

  NASAology - you are right, the "big" contractors are not cheap - but you left out one big factor which also serves to drive up cost. NASA One of the reasons companies like SpaceX are doing so much better than...

• Commented on First HD Streaming Cameras on ISS

  My gosh - bandwidth to and from the ISS is already limited - we sometimes have to wait for days to get dumps down from operational systems, and now we are going to further burden the system with the requirement...

• Commented on Microsatellite Launch From Wallops

  @bluesky: I won't claim to be an expert on much of anything but after reading the article again I'm not sure I see things the same way you do. From the article I don't see Goddard going "operational" and competing...

• Commented on Congress Is Using Bad Numbers To Trash a Business Case

  Tinker espoused "Saturn could have given America a space station bigger than ISS decades ago" You are so right, if what you are measuring is weight or volume. Certainly, the technology seen on the ISS today was not ready for...

• Commented on Congress Is Using Bad Numbers To Trash a Business Case

  #Marcel - I'm sorry, I missed your post. I agree that NASA standards are high. But how do you define "good enough" During the 30 years I spent at NASA I was always amazed at how cumbersome their review process...

• Commented on Congress Is Using Bad Numbers To Trash a Business Case

  @Marcel - I know my question was a bit off topic, but it was not rhetorical - as we move forward towards crewed commercial launches, for both NASA and non-NASA customers, how do you think the "man rating" process should...

• Commented on Congress Is Using Bad Numbers To Trash a Business Case

  I'm not sure there really is any way to "honestly" summarize the costs of the different vehicles, development or operational. At least in Houston there are many items which are "shared" between ISS and shuttle - In the control center...

• Commented on Congress Is Using Bad Numbers To Trash a Business Case

  Marcel - sorry about being off topic but I am interested in your comment "Private space launch companies need to move away from government contracts and being forced to man-rate their vehicles according to NASA" I think that we both...

• Commented on Microsatellite Launch From Wallops

  I wanna tell you, heads are gonna roll at the Wallops PAO - how did Keith find out about this event in advance?...

• Commented on Looking Back at Apollo

  Richard, I hear what you are saying and to a degree I agree with you, but I think that the decline in the number of engineering students (and engineering professionals) is due to a lot of factors, not the least...

• Commented on Delta 2 Resurgence

  Tinker said "For crew launch the Falcon 9 can't be matched for price" That may well be true, but since neither the Falcon nor the Dragon have been submitted to the process of "man rating" - a process which seems...

• Commented on Half a Century of Americans in Space

  John said "If we told a NASA audience from the '80s that 21st century NASA spent as much to build a mobile launch tower as it cost a private spaceflight provider to fly two different rockets, setup three launch pads,and...

• Commented on Commercial Lunar Missions Ahead

  Tinker - a comment and a question. Going into Lunar orbit before committing to a landing gives you a great opportunity to pause for a moment and verify that everything is ready before transitioning to entry phase. The burn for...

• Commented on Commercial Lunar Missions Ahead

  As I read the article and JoeCooper's comment an amusing thought started to form in my mind - I'm sure those of you who are younger and brighter have figured out the answer already. If we ever do get to...

• Commented on SpaceX Explains Why They Beat China on Cost

  In the article Elon said "This is a clear case of American innovation trumping lower overseas labor rates. " He is right, and has really done some remarkable things but I have to wonder how long it is going to...

• Commented on The Shuttle Party Is Over

  The "other Chris" said "The only capability you really lose is the ability to bring a 15 ton cargo back from LEO to the surface of the Earth intact. But over 30 years of the shuttle program, how often was...

• Commented on First Family at STS-134

  Steve previously said "I don't think there are words to describe the professionalism of the current KSC launch team. " Thanks Steve - well put - while I have never seen the KSC launch team in person I worked the...

• Commented on Elektron Failure on ISS

  Warloc, I would go a step further and say that if nothing else the ISS is a GREAT test bed for the technologies necessary for long duration spaceflight. And this is a prime example. If you were on your way...