Stardust-516

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• Commented on Rocket Motors to Nowhere?

  Frank, This is a chapter in the book "A 70 Metric-Ton Launch Vehicle to Nowhere". Even if this dictated by Congress HLV ever becomes operational (and that's a very big if), what 70 metric-ton payloads will there be to launch?...

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

  Einstein had a saying that insanity was doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result. We've just witnessed a striking display of insanity from congress. In addition they've helped to ensure that the Russians, the...

• Commented on A Missed Opportunity (Update)

  This article would be better titled "The Empire Strikes Back". Our only real hope at this point is that the "commercial space rebels" have gained enough base of operations to be able to hold on, and continue to expand their...

• Commented on NASA Authorization Bill Works Its Way Through Appropriators

  "This bill reaffirms our nation's commitment to a robust human space exploration program by providing $1.9 billion to begin to build an integrated heavy lift launch vehicle system that will be designed, managed, and integrated by the Marshall Space Flight...

• Commented on SpaceX Wins Half Billion Dollar Deal With Iridium

  Go SpaceX!!!! This is truly exciting -- something I've been waiting for, for quite some time. I hope everyone realizes, and particularly the Constellation huggers out there, that we're once again seeing entrepreneurship and capitalism out-produce government central planning. Government...

• Commented on Sen. Nelson Attempts To Formulate a Compromise

  Rational and balanced thinking for a politician. Note that Nelson's proposal is very well aligned with the Augustine commission recommendations: LEO access for cargo and crew is left to commercial. NASA restarts significant R&D activities, as well as work on...

• Commented on Why Isn't The Rest Of America Upset About This?

  Two points: 1) The "passions" behind the Constellation debate are mostly about "jobs" in select zip codes and much less about exploration or human expansion into space, and 2) the American public has interest in things that touch their lives...

• Commented on Sen. Nelson Attempts To Formulate a Compromise

  ... I have to say though that Constellation was an incredibly ill-conceived program -- "Apollo on steroids"?? Really?? More like a real life Dilbert cartoon. An architecture Wally could admire. Seriously. Mike Griffin and Doc Horowitz apparently only had a...

• Commented on Sen. Nelson Attempts To Formulate a Compromise

  The "sensible center" makes its voice heard. Thank goodness!! After the strident cries from both extremes, its good to hear some more rational and balanced thinking. Most of what Senator Nelson proposes, makes a lot of sense from what I...

• Commented on The Smell of Election Year Politics

  Live by political favors, die by political favors. It goes both ways folks......

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

  Power of the undeniable counter-example. This very successful first flight of the Falcon-9 changes everything, politically. Political detractors (e.g., Hutchison, Shelby) are going to look more and more foolish as they try to deny this new reality. Can't wait for...

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

  To those of us who have been helping and cheering emerging commercial space for years and years, today's Falcon-9 launch was almost too awesome for words. I loved watching the feed and hearing the SpaceX team cheering in the background...

• Commented on Falcon 9 Reaction

  The statements from Hutchison and Shelby were very predictable -- these two would say the moon is made of green cheese if that saw some political advantage. The more consequential statement was from Nelson (which you didn't mention Keith): ...that...

• Commented on Falcon 9 Launch Totally Successful

  Congrats Elon and the whole SpaceX team -- Space 2.0 has finally begun!!!...

• Commented on Jeff Hanley Removed From CxP Management

  Finally!!!! Heads starting to roll!!! Bolden is starting to see what is required to usher in change at NASA......

• Commented on Is A Human Space Flight Compromise Emerging?

  Winston Churchhill was right -- the Americans can be depended upon to do the right thing, after exhausting the alternatives......

• Commented on Bolden Stands His Ground

  Bolden: "Some have argued that the Constellation program was the symbol of American leadership in space. I think they have been misled. An unsustainable program, as described in the Augustine Committee Report, with no funding planned to support the ISS...

• Commented on New Space Policy: Radical or Necessary?

  My read at this point is that congress and the administration will eventually compromise on letting NASA lead the development of an HLV (true Shuttle derived) and a redesigned Orion capsule (freed from the limitations of Ares-1). Routine LEO space...

• Commented on NASA's Perfect PAO Storm

  @Spaceboy, Its more than ironic, its tragic. I have intimate personal knowledge of all these programs I mention. In fact you could replace "Constellation" with "NASP" or "X-33" or "SLI/OSP" in my comment above, along with the program start date,...

• Commented on NASA's Perfect PAO Storm

  These comments are absolutely on target!! Kudos Miles O'Brian for speaking an uncomfortable truth! NASA HSF -- time to wake up and smell the coffee. Constellation was a dead man walking from the day it was rolled out in the...

• Commented on Sen. Vitter Has Been Drinking the Koolaid

  Didn't get a chance to see this live -- too much real work to do. Anyone know when a YouTube posting will be up on it??...

• Commented on Bolden Meets The Press

  One of the saddest parts of this whole mess is the human toll -- Spaceboy makes that very clear; the wasted years, efforts, hopes and dreams; the anxiety of an uncertain future. Sadder still is that the Constellation debacle was...

• Commented on Bolden Speaks to Investors

  Finally!! Some genuine leadership that NASA desperately needs -- and he's even read the NASA Space Act Authority (or at least his key staff has), and he quotes notable individuals (Professor Carroll Quigley). Who is this guy??...

• Commented on Ares 1-X Is One Step Closer To Launch

  I think its great some real money has gone into building some real hardware for exploration, rather than just viewgraphs and videos. But next time, can't you build something that doesn't look so ridiculous. I mean really, it does look...

• Commented on Jeff Hanley Dumps on Augustine

  Well at least Jeff is finally moving past denial on the future of the present Constellation - he's now on anger. Jeff, The next step is acceptance....