Mike Schriber

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• Commented on Here We Go Again: Do More With Less

  That piece is spot on. It's like groundhog's day. Sad....

• Commented on New NASA Online Game Snubs Macs And Other Operating Systems

  I disagree with you completely on this one Keith. Apple Macintosh marketshare is right around 5% and Linux is closer to 1%. The lack of support for those platforms with this software is totally unsurprising. Android is a mobile operating...

• Commented on White House on Space: Ready, Fire, Aim

  You don't need a specific goal to keep Congress interested. All you need is a plan that keeps the greatest amount of money flowing to the states of members who matter (or think they do). Anything beyond that is superfluous....

• Commented on Has China Been Formally Invited to Join the ISS Program? (Another Update)

  Are you kidding? It's way too late for that. The shuttle program is over. If you really think the gap needs to be closed faster encourage NASA to spend some of that money you want to throw at the shuttle...

• Commented on Hutchison Supports Glenn Comments on Shuttle

  Interesting. When the replacement system was going to heavily involve the Johnson Space Center in Texas, Senator Hutchison didn't seem too concerned about the gap. Now that CxP has been put out of it's misery, suddenly it's a huge problem....

• Commented on John Glenn Has Something To Say

  Where the heck was John Glenn (and Neil Armstrong, Gene Cernan and the rest) years ago when it was obvious that the gap to Ares 1/Orion was going to be at least five years or longer? I can't tell you...

• Commented on Shuttle Derived Launch Vehicle Idea Is Still Alive

  Sidemount makes too much sense for NASA to adopt. That's why Shuttle-C was ignored for so many years and why Griffin canned almost all the shuttle heritage hardware in favor of "Apollo on Steroids". It's still a good idea but...

• Commented on Falcon 9 Development = Cost of Ares I Mobile Service Tower

  So, by your logic Boeing is "governmercial" as well? What about all those companies out there who's main business is with the government. Are they not commercial? What about all the companies that receive government grants for research or tax...

• Commented on Falcon 9 Development = Cost of Ares I Mobile Service Tower

  You are only reading what you want to. SpaceX has indeed received government funding (call it a subsidy if you like) to develop the Dragon cargo version and launch it on three demonstration flights. It SpaceX spends more than $278M...

• Commented on Falcon 9 Development = Cost of Ares I Mobile Service Tower

  Why are you talking about lofting Orion? We're talking about access to LEO. Regardless, the net environmental impact between hydrocarbon and hydrogen fueled boosters is negligible. It's a non-argument and you appear to be bringing it up just to have...

• Commented on Building Orion

  I'm not sure what point you're trying to make by comparing the Dragon qualification unit (which is in orbit) to the Orion ground test article. The Dragon ground test article was built more than a year ago. They're doing final...

• Commented on Falcon 9 Development = Cost of Ares I Mobile Service Tower

  We know exactly how much taxpayer money has been spent on SpaceX. The company has received $278M for the development of the Dragon cargo spacecraft and three Falcon 9/Dragon test flights under it's COTS award. The company has to reach...

• Commented on Falcon 9 Development = Cost of Ares I Mobile Service Tower

  Marcel, have you really gone that far off the deep end? Where do you think they derive the hydrogen from? Hydrocarbons! Where do you think the power comes from for production and liquefaction? Hydrocarbons and coal mainly. A hydrogen fueled...

• Commented on Building Orion

  I wouldn't get too excited with your comparison. The Dragon flight qualification vehicle that was flown last week was identical in aerodynamic profile (right down to thruster openings) to the actual vehicle and was manufactured to the same specifications. The...

• Commented on The Smell of Election Year Politics

  I know Obama is a politician but here's a shocking thought... maybe he approved the NASA FY 2011 budget because he thought it was the right thing to do even though it was not politically expedient. It's been known to...

• Commented on Falcon 9 Nails Orbit - First Stage Slams Hard into Atlantic

  You've said two different things. However, it does not matter which way you put it. Launching a payload into orbit is not easy in any context. Certainly, everything is relative, but that doesn't change the basic facts....

• Commented on Falcon 9 Nails Orbit - First Stage Slams Hard into Atlantic

  I think you'll have a very hard time finding anyone who would agree with that statement. "The easy part is putting something into orbit."...

• Commented on Falcon 9 Nails Orbit - First Stage Slams Hard into Atlantic

  Of course it was sarcastic! I'm sorry Keith but you should take a moment to more throughly review a post and it's context before chiming in with the big bold letters from above. In case you missed it, the Energia...

• Commented on Falcon 9 Nails Orbit - First Stage Slams Hard into Atlantic

  "As far as the level of complexity is concerned, Space X failed to recover their booster." That's about the weakest response I could imagine. It's no better than those who nitpicked Arex 1-X because of the SRB parachute failure. However,...

• Commented on Falcon 9 Nails Orbit - First Stage Slams Hard into Atlantic

  SpaceX started both the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 programs to serve commercial customers. They certainly hoped to get government business as well but it was not critical to the success of the company. They did take some government money...

• Commented on Falcon 9 Nails Orbit - First Stage Slams Hard into Atlantic

  This was not a COTS flight. This first test flight was totally at SpaceX's expense. The original plan was to have the payload faring on this vehicle but they decided to fly the Dragon qualification vehicle instead. SpaceX does have...

• Commented on Falcon 9 Reaction

  I don't think you could find a statement more filed with minimizing innuendo that this... This first successful test flight of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is a belated sign that efforts to develop modest commercial space cargo capabilities are showing...

• Commented on Falcon 9 Nails Orbit - First Stage Slams Hard into Atlantic

  It's disappointing that the first stage was destroyed. I know it's recovery was a low priority item for the flight but it would have been nice. It'll be interesting to know why the parachutes failed (or failed to open). The...

• Commented on Falcon 9 Launch Totally Successful

  That was very impressive, especially when you consider that it was the first launch attempt and they had just recovered from a pad abort an hour before. I was amazed to see Falcon 9 launch and blow away by the...

• Commented on SpaceX Preps for Falcon 9 Launch

  SpaceX is a private company. They don't have to share any information with the public. They've been careful with information in the past, controlling their PR when needed. Nothing surprising there. I can assure you that they will be sharing...

• Commented on Watching Falcons

  A number of you seem to be missing some very important points... The Falcon 9 (and Falcon 1) were developed primarily to serve as low cost expendable commercial satellite launchers. Both vehicles have commercial orders booked. They have a viable...

• Commented on Watching Falcons

  I'd be more surprised by a 100% success than a partial (or total) failure. It's a test program after all....

• Commented on Unlikely Alliances Against Obama Space Policy

  This op-ed is completely disconnected from reality. Why mention a return to the moon by the end of the decade when we'd be lucky to see a (scaled down) Orion flying to nowhere by that time under the current program...

• Commented on Shuttle Mission Delays

  AMS is being delayed so they can swap the cryo magnet (with a three year lifetime) to a permanent magnet which will allow the instrument to operate as long as the station does. That's the launch I was planning on...

• Commented on Well, There Seems To Be A Compromise After All

  Orion as a CRV is an absolutely pointless waste of money. It's truly an idiotic idea and a very expensive bone toss to placate Congress. I can't wait to hear the cost estimates on this little gift to Lockheed Martin....