Comments on: NASA offers $50 million for commercial crew development http://www.spacepolitics.com/2009/08/06/nasa-offers-50-million-for-commercial-crew-development/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=nasa-offers-50-million-for-commercial-crew-development Because sometimes the most important orbit is the Beltway... Wed, 17 Sep 2014 13:35:41 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.38 By: Jonathan Goff http://www.spacepolitics.com/2009/08/06/nasa-offers-50-million-for-commercial-crew-development/#comment-264996 Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:41:57 +0000 http://www.spacepolitics.com/?p=2508#comment-264996 In a way, I think this is good. The end result needs to be more than just wiring SpaceX money to exercise their COTS-D option. SpaceX is the farthest along, but it really would be best if there were at least 1-2 other competitors able to also provide the services, so there can be real competition and resiliency. Unlike the cargo only COTS option, the ability to haul people safely to/from orbit is a service with customers beyond NASA and the ISS, so the market should be able to sustain at least a few healthy players. So, I’m personally not too displeased that they’re funding some low-level work with a couple of groups. This allows them to cut their teeth on the project and demonstrate that they know how to retire risk. Also, by showing some visible progress (which t/Space for instance demonstrated could be done for little money during the CE&R work under Steidle), it may make it easier to get real funding from Congress next year.

~Jon

]]> By: looking for real work http://www.spacepolitics.com/2009/08/06/nasa-offers-50-million-for-commercial-crew-development/#comment-264993 Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:12:55 +0000 http://www.spacepolitics.com/?p=2508#comment-264993 Does anyone know if this $50 million is the total commercial got in the deal? It looks like there was only $80 million for this activity to begin with. Did eveything else drop out or have the details not come up yet?

I read somewhere else this was the plan at first:

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1382/1

“That recommendation played a supporting role in a debate on Capitol Hill last week about NASA’s support of COTS and commercial ISS resupply efforts. NASA earlier announced it was putting $150 million of stimulus funding towards commercial ISS crew transportation: $70 million to develop general capabilities, including human rating requirements for commercial vehicles (the lack of which was cited in the ASAP report) and $80 million “to stimulate activity for commercial crew”, as acting administrator Chris Scolese explained last week during a hearing by the Senate Commerce Committee’s space subcommittee.”

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