moonman

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• Commented on Learning From The Past

  "Constellation ignored the $100 billion dollars that American, European, Russian, and Japanese taxpayers had invested in the International Space Station (ISS). Technical challenges became manifest early on....It was only a matter of time before Constellation collapsed" One of the things...

• Commented on Should Congress Design the Next Big Booster?

  Although I think generally you are trying to do the right thing, your draft timetable is not realistic and several of the major features of your plan are precisely what has been contended for the last several years....

• Commented on Bringing Life and Microgravity Science Back From Extinction

  In the past NASA's operations (Shuttle, ISS) organizations and 'artificially 'created groups like Code C (commercialization) financed much of the specially developed science experiments flyng on manned missions. It now appears that science is going to be administered and paid...

• Commented on Should Congress Design the Next Big Booster?

  What appears to be missing is NASA leadership. I do not mean a Griffin-esque dictatorship. I mean some people at the top who organize, argue, discuss and decide on the way forward, the alternative designs, the costs, the schedules, and...

• Commented on Congressional Staffer Ken Monroe Thinks That NASA Is "Run By Idiots"

  Very well said. Much of the agency is filled with managers who have never done anything that has given them any real and practical experience. I think this describes the operations managers of Constellation very well-they were so busy negotiating...

• Commented on Confusing Rationale To Keep Flying the Shuttle

  Actually Keith, the ISS is about 4 times the mass of the completed Mir. The two are not similar in size or mass. Any of the existing or planned propulsion systems could be used to bring ISS down; Progress, ATV,...

• Commented on Dazed and Confused on "The Hill"

  I think the one who is confused is Mr. Fenn. No one had planned at the outset to put our future in Mr. Musk's hands. Constellation, Orion and Ares received plenty of money and had the time and people to...

• Commented on Congressional Staffer Ken Monroe Thinks That NASA Is "Run By Idiots"

  I don't know this guy-had never heard of him before this blog. He seems to be straight shooter and telling it the way it is. It is unfortunate that so much of what he says is accurate. I would disagree...

• Commented on NASA IT Summit Day 1

  I was able to follow most of it before midday via the live web streaming. Very interesting and very important messages from the speakers this morning. With the trends now well along NASA public affairs needs to be thinking about...

• Commented on Send More Money - Or Cut Something Out

  Whether its specifically the HL-20 or not, you are 100% right. Now we have to find some managers to listen to reason....

• Commented on Send More Money - Or Cut Something Out

  I am not sure why you think moon rocks are a valuable thing to be returning. We have a lot of moon rocks on earth now that only a very few people have interest in researching. If you had the...

• Commented on What is the Space Shuttle's True Legacy?

  Possum; I tend to agree with most of what you say. I would modify one paragraph: "The only real cure is to fire EVERYONE and start over with new people." If we want a space program then we cannot afford...

• Commented on Send More Money - Or Cut Something Out

  "as in Apollo, constraints will drive it to as mass-efficient a configuration as possible." This was Orion's first mistake. That it is too large and too massive; that it cannot be launched on any existing rockets and required a totally...

• Commented on What is the Space Shuttle's True Legacy?

  I completely agree with Wayne Hale's feelings (and John Logsdon), but I think Mr. Hale sort of avoids the responsibility when he calls it a failure of "national leadership". NASA has been the nation's leader in human space flight in...

• Commented on What is the Space Shuttle's True Legacy?

  What is the Shuttle's legacy ? I do not think we know yet what it will be. We are seeing, real-time, right now a debate over just how we ought to use the knowledge and the hardware. We do not...

• Commented on Constellation Flight Test Office Budget Cut

  I would hope its because they've come to their senses and realized the current Orion configuration is too large, too massive, and is going to require radical change - if it were needed at all which it isn't....

• Commented on Wayne Hale's New Job

  Why was he moved out of his Shuttle manager position 2 years ago and into a position that, by comparison, was a nothing job - within NASA he appeared to have had no responsibilities, no serious functions other than speech...

• Commented on NASA Contractor/Civil Service Social Media Guidelines Released

  I think people must have too much time on their hands. That includes people contemplating twitterring their every move or thought, as well as those writing this memo. The statement "NASA personnel representing the agency must be professional and factually...

• Commented on Space Station Experiences Partial Cooling Shutdown

  Right now we can likely get this returned on one of the last 2 or 3 Shuttles and maybe send it back up on HTV or another vehicle once its been fixed. The failure came in the nick of time....

• Commented on Video: Think Big Picture - For Just a Moment

  Apparently NASA did not "get" it. NASA cancelled the student competition program last year. http://www.tsgc.utexas.edu/nmb/...

• Commented on Getting Out of the Gravity Well on One Thin Dime

  It is all in the sales approach. NASA could get double the money it gets now if it could show the value returned. Showing is critical and that is where strategic communications comes in. NASA has not made that effort....

• Commented on Keeping Our Eyes On The Prize

  Based on the contention, the lack of a workable and adequately funded plan, and the poor performance that Bolden (and Obama) have made in rolling out their ideas, I wish Bolden would get some serious help first in meeting with...

• Commented on Keeping Our Eyes On The Prize

  Bolden has only been there about a year, right ? What did StratCom do in the previous 3-4 years ?...

• Commented on Keeping Our Eyes On The Prize

  Interesting paper, done about 5 years ago, prescribed exactly what Constellation needed to be doing if it was going to survive and gain public support. Five years later as near as I can tell they did not one thing that...

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

  "does beg the question: what do these workforce profiles look like at the HSF design Centers ? i.e., JSC and MSFC. You have hit at one of NASA's key problems. If you take a look at almost everyone in a...

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

  Finally some common sense, intelligence and leadership coming to the forefront. How long we have had to wait for this. The LEO PTV depot needs to be at or co-orbiting with ISS so that we do not need to build...

• Commented on KSC and JSC Really Want a Shuttle

  New York is too close to DC to make sense. Space Center Houston, the JSC Visitor Center, was originally sized to accommodate an Orbiter in its rotunda although I am not sure how it gets in there. KSC has two...

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

  Maybe people will begin to pay attention now that they understand the money budgeted does not meet the program plan. Its either that, or Congress and the President and NASA Management just simply do not care about what ultimately is...

• Commented on A Missed Opportunity (Update)

  I'm not certain why you think it will be 2 or 3 years before the 'new-Orion' schedule will slip. Constellation was slipping pretty reliably by 18 months every year of the program and that was just to first manned flight....

• Commented on KSC and JSC Really Want a Shuttle

  Enterprise, which has been at Smithsonian's Udvar Hazy, is being replaced by Discovery and Enterprise will go elsewhere. The USAF Museum at Wright Patterson is the most likely northern mid-west location both because of the number of visitors, the fact...