BrianM

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• Commented on Video of Today's Solid Rocket Motor Test

  It would be interesting to know how expensive this test was as compared with the $900 million Ares 1X launch....

• Commented on Learning From The Past

  Another analogy worth considering is Pan Am's development of the cross-Pacific air routes. No aircraft had the capability to fly across the Pacific in a single jump, and there were no cities, outposts, or airfields on the islands they wanted...

• Commented on Apollo's Urban Legends

  NASA and the Kennedy Administration orchestrated an 'advertising campaign' mainly through Life magazine throughout the 1960s, just as von Braun had orchestrated one through Walt Disney in the 1950s. People were aware of what was going on and the excitement...

• Commented on Dazed and Confused on "The Hill"

  "I also know that a dedicated contingent of retired Apollo era engineers offered their help and support though they were in their late 60's and 70's now." There were quite a few people with successful experience, in their 50s and...

• Commented on NASA IT Summit Day 1

  You are obviously not qualified for leadership in NASA or NASA contractors if you have demonstrated competence in leadership and communications to the outside world. NASA leaders today are to have no role in AIAA or other civic groups. And...

• Commented on Send More Money - Or Cut Something Out

  The key, in line with the original Challenger recommendation to separate crew from cargo, and in line with the architecture adopted early for ISS, is to optimize systems for their intended purposes. The type of system required to launch or...

• Commented on Where Do We Go From Here?

  I thought it was pretty funny last week at the ISS User's Conference that the head of the payloads office, Rod Jones (who as I understand has never worked payloads or science in any program prior to his current position)...

• Commented on Where Do We Go From Here?

  ISS will not succeed for some time. Yes it is there, it ought to be used, but shortsightedness and poor planning led to an inability to provide significant upmass or downmass for at least a few years. So as its...

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

  Along with mojo, I think we need some kind of a plan for people to rally behind. I do not think we have one but from what I can tell based on the recent Congressional compromises here is all I...

• Commented on The Senate NASA Compromise: A Hinge of History?

  It is a political compromise. What it is is a short-sighted jobs-saving measure. What it is not is a plan for where we are going and why. It is unfortunate the compromise came so late, since a similar plan six...

• Commented on Is NASA Advertising Allowed or Prohibited?

  Obviously NASA has never succesfully communicated to you what it offers of value to the nation. Space photography and imagery is inspirational. NASA plays an important role in astronomy, geography, history, robotics, and the sciences. There are astronomical satellites and...

• Commented on Is NASA Advertising Allowed or Prohibited?

  Where is it said that NASA cannot communicate its story? The original NASA Act demands it. As Waste points out, a lot of NASA management fears being too 'in your face' with telling NASA's story, but that seems to be...

• Commented on OIG Report on Hanley Reassignment Released

  "Walking away so lightly from a focused concerted effort to explore in our lifetimes should be reconsidered....to hear NASA leadership and administration officials further spread the spin and accusations of others without giving us a chance to rebutt [sic] or...

• Commented on Cernan Calls On Bolden To Resign

  http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/7098305.html NASA's crucial missions hijacked by liberal agenda. An excellent editorial on NASA's new role in the liberal agenda. A couple key statements: "Under Obama, liberals are determined to reinvigorate the reputation of government, to prove that only the state...

• Commented on NASA's New AA for Public Affairs is David Weaver

  NASA needs some real help in this area. This looks like just another political assignment. Good luck!...

• Commented on Communicating Outside of NASAWorld

  There is an excellent doctoral dissertation that reviews NASA communications and education over the last decade by a student from Fox University in 2009. You can probably find it under Google Scholar under the name Ivie, AAT 3394583. She took...

• Commented on This Week in Space - Griffin's Spin On Things

  I'm glad things are now beginning to change to be better and more efficient. Just keep in mind that all of those organizations and facilities that were taken over by operations in the last dozen + years meant new opportunities...

• Commented on This Week in Space - Griffin's Spin On Things

  I'd have to agree that all comers, including NASA, need to do things differently than how the current crop of HSF operations people have functioned. From 1984 to 1995, operations were getting more expensive and eating the rest of the...

• Commented on Oil Trumps Space (Update)

  I just don't understand the comments that Constellation was "never going to do as advertised." As advertised was 'Safe, simple, and soon'. Simple implied within the original cost constraints of a relatively stable and constant NASA budget. Budget projections by...

• Commented on Going Nowhere and Everywhere

  What we do need is the visionary plan, which lays out the activities for the next year, and far less detail for the next 5 years, and far less for the 5 years after than. I think this is correct...

• Commented on More Constellation Management Changes

  "The lack of controls, processes, etc., is endemic across the Agency....as articulated by GAO." Personally, I’d rather not make excuses that this is something that is endemic, commonplace and to be expected in NASA. NASA needs to be changing its...

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

  Frank Sietzen - the American people believe-wrongly-that space affairs have no relation to their lives. Dennis Wingo - the ESAS implementation of the Vision for Space Exploration eliminated the things that would make it relevant to the American people CommonSense...

• Commented on Unlikely Alliances Against Obama Space Policy

  While I admire and have great empathy for both Zubrin and Spudis, the government is not going to commit to a multi-tens of billions of dollar multi generational program. The best you can hope for is a few years at...

• Commented on Plan C For Outer Space

  I believe that what was missing in Constellation, and also missing in the new Obama concept (I do not want to call it a plan because it is not one), are reasonable near term schedule milestones. A reasonable near term...

• Commented on Jeff Hanley Removed From CxP Management

  I didn't know JSC does strategic planning. Good luck Jeff!...

• Commented on Bolden Vs Armstrong and Cernan: Clash of the Titans Round 2

  You are confusing hardware providers with subsystem managers. Subsystem management in ISS is largely in the OB Vehicle organization for most systems, in the OC Ops Integration organization for most GFE and crew equipment, and in OZ for most payload...

• Commented on Bolden Vs Armstrong and Cernan: Clash of the Titans Round 2

  Chuck- I think that these are good observations, and accurate. One aspect you did not point out, but which is significant in how Human Space Flight is no longer functioning, was that until about 15 years ago there were organizations...

• Commented on Bolden Vs Armstrong and Cernan: Clash of the Titans Round 2

  I wish that all parties would get their stories straight for this session so they know what they are advocating for or against. Armstrong and Cernan both appeared a bit confused in their first appearances last week. A brief summary...

• Commented on Hearing Reaction

  "And where was Armstrong in 2005 when all this kicked off?" Here was Armstrong's 2005-06 work in support of the Vision: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fCf-i4Nnw8 Read First Man, by James Hansen. Armstrong had never been reclusive. He has just chosen the activities who...

• Commented on Senate Opposition to Obama Space Plan On The Increase

  "usually a proposed program is studied and analyzed before being approved. Constellation went through that, but not this new commercial approach" I'd like to see a serious detailed study that put forward Constellation. The original Garriott-Griffin study of 2004, which...