Comments on: Ares politics gets local

By: David Davenport

David Davenport — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:53:14 +0000

Now it is time for the government to buy Atlas or Delta boosters to get Orion into space, and MSFC has to adapt. Many of them can move to Decatur and do similar rocket work there.

No need to move. Decatur is within reasonable commuting distance from H-ville. Cancelling Ares and switching to EELV’s would not be a loss for Alabama.

By: Major Tom

Major Tom — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:20:51 +0000

“Of course, the â€œAugustine Commissionâ€ might be surprised that it recommended that the Ares 1 be scrapped, since the report included no recommendations and did feature options that use the Ares 1.”

While true, the only two options that included Ares I were the Program of Record (Constrained) and the Program of Record (Baseline). Of the former, the report stated that it “offers little or no apparent value”. Of the latter, the report stated that it “delivers Ares I/Orion in the midâ€“to-late 2010s, and flights to low-Earth orbit, but with no specific destination
as yet definable” because of ISS “retirement in 2015″. The report is pretty clear that the options that incorporate Ares I are not desirable options.

FWIW…

By: CharlesHouston

CharlesHouston — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:27:52 +0000

As a long time Spacelab guy, who supported a Spacelab mission from the MSFC ops center, I have great sympathy for the MSFC folks. They have been handed a scorpion when they asked for an egg, but it is time to get the government out of one more part of the space business. The government did let go of the notion of the Shuttle launching every payload. The government did let go of the Delta and Atlas (well, sort of – it is in progress) and allowed commercial companies to sell launches. Now it is time for the government to buy Atlas or Delta boosters to get Orion into space, and MSFC has to adapt. Many of them can move to Decatur and do similar rocket work there.
They do have a fine pool of intelligence, but that pool is now needed on Delta or Atlas.
One of these days the government will let go of the crewed capsule or whatever, and commercial companies will do that, too. So JSC will have their day.

By: sc220

sc220 — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:53:15 +0000

Conservatism for Republicans only pertains to what you do to the “other” guy. At the local level, all politicians are socialists.

By: Robert G. Oler

Robert G. Oler — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:30:29 +0000

As Rich Kolker would say (and has in an op ed) “save our jobs” and I would add “we love our pork” …but we are all god fearing Republicans.

Robert G. Oler