Comments on: Shuttle retirement an urgent transition issue

By: Pro Information Center » Blog Archive » Reports of The Stick’s Death Are Greatly Exaggerated

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 03:34:01 +0000

[…] shuttle program extension is talked about, particularly by the GAO, there’s no compelling reason for adding any more missions to the current manifest (aside […]

By: Space Politics » More post-election reaction

Space Politics » More post-election reaction — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 19:49:36 +0000

[…] extending the shuttle despite calls for the latter. The editorial notes the recent GAO report that identified the shuttle retirement decision as one of 13 immediate issues facing the Obama Administration. “[F]lying the aging orbiters longer poses major safety risks […]

By: Al Fansome

Al Fansome — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 01:18:52 +0000

It is also possible the GAO took NASA’s original estimate for Constellation, and then applied a cost-growth factor based on NASA’s historical performance on major programs.

Remember, the space station was originally supposed to cost $8 Billion.

$230 Billion might be the GAO’s estimate of what it would actually take NASA to put a permanent human base on the Moon … after all the delays, design changes, over-runs, more delays, etc.

– Al

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 23:13:52 +0000

“The $230 billion figure includes that and Ares V, EDS, Altair, and lunar-block Orion development through lunar IOC circa 2020.”

That doesn’t make sense, say NASA gets $20B a year until 2020, that’s $220B total. That includes the Science and Aeronautics budgets, not to mention shuttle and ISS support for the next few years. The numbers must be wrong somewhere or the figure goes past the year 2020.

By: Jonathan Goff

Jonathan Goff — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 22:14:45 +0000

Even $23B is obscene bordering on ridiculous. EELV, Falcon IX/Dragon, and Taurus II/Cygnus combined cost the government less than $2.5B to develop. What a bloody waste of taxpayer resources.

Ares/Orion delenda est.

~Jon

By: anonymous.space

anonymous.space — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:12:36 +0000

“My understanding it was going to cost 23-28 billion! Where did the 230 BILLION to develope come from. ”

Ares I/Orion development through ISS IOC in 2015-16 is topping out at $25 billion. The $230 billion figure includes that and Ares V, EDS, Altair, and lunar-block Orion development through lunar IOC circa 2020.

FWIW…

By: Vladislaw

Vladislaw — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 19:41:16 +0000

From the GAO, ” as the new vehicles are expected to cost more than $230 billion to develop and deploy.”

230 BILLION just to DEVELOP and DEPLOY?

Where the hell did THIS number come from and how do they define “deploy” costs? up to the first flight? The first ISS manned docking flight? Includes the cost for the first lunar flight?

My understanding it was going to cost 23-28 billion! Where did the 230 BILLION to develope come from. Or did I miss some memos?