That link led to a “can’t find the file you are looking for” – for AIP.

I am currently watching the MIT video

http://www.aip.org/fyi/2010/037

And a video from MIT:

http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/782/

Probably not, actually, but the contractors will get to waste more money on them for another year or two until it’s finally recognized that both are unnecessary for human exploration.

Funny because so true. The sad thing is that there’s quite a bit more reality and a bit less of the mythology about space in AW&ST then you’ll find in the space activist community. For a dose of reality I refer folks to their excellent articles on the comsat and international launch industries.

“contrary to what you think, I will be cheering. Reluctantly, but cheering. ”

Glad to hear.

Now if you could, please stop with the constant “Aviation Week/Leak” references – once or twice it’s a joke, but now it distracts from what you’re saying. It is the job of the media to dig up information, so singling out Aviation Week is kind of weird. Thanks.

Again, I believe you are remembering him talking about it, but in those instances he did not endorse either model, at least to my knowledge. I did a quick look at various places, and found no examples of him endorsing one model over another. I did not look through the entirety of the testimony (because I couldn’t find a full transcript, and I haven’t the time to watch it), but I what I did find did not include an endorsement of car rental over taxi cab.

Ron, contrary to what you think, I will be cheering. Reluctantly, but cheering. Those of us who were Constellation supporters will get something out of it. It’s called Orion with Heavy-Lift. Develop and test both, and then start going places. Unlike Griffin and Rep. Gordon, I do recognize that it’s time to move on and get with the new program. Gordon’s retiring, and Griffin (who had the “my way or the highway” in regards to HSF) stays in academia. Where he should’ve been in the first place. If a different administrator had been appointed, or Sean O’Keefe had stayed on, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. Ed Crawley “made the sale” on FlexPath, as I’ve said before. Now let’s see where it leads us.

“…but both Bolden has been on record (Aviation Week/Leak among other sources-Space.com is another) as preferring the lease option. Peggy Whitson’s also been quoted as saying that’s the Astronaut Corps’ preference.”

I guess my answer would be – so what!

If NASA tells Boeing and SpaceX that they want to buy or lease their crew systems, do you know what they will say? How many would you like, and how quickly can we get them to you?

If anything, getting the manufacturers out of the crew services business is a sign of a maturing business sector.

Thanks Matt – yet another reason that NASA should fund commercial crew development!