spacefan

Comment Threads

• jamesl commented on Falcon 9 Development = Cost of Ares I Mobile Service Tower
  I think it's possible NASA could adopt the SpaceX model of development, possibly by spinning off groups as private concerns, keeping the science, pure research, and program management. This kind of thing happens all the time to big companies with new management that shakes things up, but I expect it would mean NASA would employ a lot less people....

• nwittry commented on Falcon 9 Development = Cost of Ares I Mobile Service Tower
  Has NASA Watch now just become an echo chamber for the commercial sector? You're seriously going to post a SpaceX press release and treat it as gospel? SpaceX is a private company. Private companies don't release their finances. Where's the analysis? Where's the verification? Where's the pursuit of truth? Or are you just content with providing SpaceX free advertising space? This website is a joke, Keith. You're no journalist. Or at least certainly not a credible one. Editor's note: then I guess I need to ask Mr/Mrs "nwittry" why you continue to come back to this website if it is...

• JoeCooper commented on Falcon 9 Development = Cost of Ares I Mobile Service Tower
  SpaceX is getting paid for work performed. The COTS grant buys three demo flights. If, out of 280 mil, they can afford three flights AND dragon capsules AND have money left over for development cost, than that is a major success. This argument about "commercial" is a red herring. Obviously Boeing and SpaceX are both private companies doing work for the government. That's not the issue. 1) Not using a cost-plus contracts encourages frugality. 2) Decoupling design and production decisions from politics allows frugality. (i.e. they don't have to use an inappropriate giant SRM because it comes from a certain...

• Frank Sietzen commented on Falcon 9 Development = Cost of Ares I Mobile Service Tower
  Once the Dragon/Falcon 9 vehicle is operational and safely flying somebody's astronauts and passengers to orbit and back, any public official that wants to continue to buy rides on the aging and expensive Soyuz should be fired. Also, why allow the Russians to put up progress resupply flights as barter for their ISS partnership costs when Musk can do it for a pittance? Time to pay up or get out, Ivan. I just have to wonder howmuch of the Russian manned space program will continue without the American taxpayer's buying flights on their rockets, and forcing space tourists to pay...

• Spaceboy commented on Falcon 9 Development = Cost of Ares I Mobile Service Tower
  "Frank Sietzen | June 9, 2010 And if say five years from now, there are multiple commercial crew services flying both to ISS and wealthy space passengers, with NASA still developing technologies for deep space exploration missions with the first NASA-developed deep space flight still a decade or more away" OK, considering SpaceX was over 2 years behind on their inaugural Falcon 9 launch, and considering they were more than two years behind on their first successful Falcon 1 launch and considering they have said they could be ready to fly crew within 3 years of receiving a crew contract......