“Dragons will never carry crews as configured. Cargo, yes. Human beings, no.”

As configured you’ll never fly through the air nor travel across land at speeds up to 65 MPH.

Could you be any more obtuse?

Earth to Prez…. government funded and managed space programs have been orbiting crews for fifty years. Commerical HSF, never.

What are you talking about. Commercial HSF has orbited crews for fifty years.

Earth to Prez…. government funded and managed space programs have been orbiting crews for fifty years. Commerical HSF, never. Tick-tock, tick-tock, fella.

We could be flying humans to space next year on Falcon/Dragon if we stop insisting on an abort system. Wouldn’t be any less safe than Shuttle was.

Ever the shill. Except any crew would have to hold its breath as Dragon has no viable, flight tested, operational ECS. Shuttle did, and had wings BTW, and an abort methodology albeit slim in retrospect, but it was designed that way. Point is, HSF systems want to reduce risk and enhance crew survivability, something you are on record on this forum holding in great disdain. Even Soyuz has an abort system and has saved crew. Dragons will never carry crews as configured. Cargo, yes. Human beings, no.

I’m not saying they do give a damn about science, but there is no evidence that they would give a damn about repurposing those funds to something else.

That’s precisely the point. They don’t give a damn about repurposing the Science budget.

Congress in general is not enthusiastic about anything space related, unless it means money for their district.

Not a problem. Your primary contractors will occupy one congressional district or another. Maybe more than one.

It’s a sad state of affairs, as I would rather have an official human exploration program for beyond LEO, but Congress is not interested at this time, which means the status quo remains the status quo.

Give me a break. It’s not the job of Congress to design a space program de novo. It’s the job of the Administration to propose policy and the requisite budget.

“I’d like to see evidence that Congress actually gives a damn about the Science budget beyond the bottom line.”

I’m not saying they do give a damn about science, but there is no evidence that they would give a damn about repurposing those funds to something else.

Congress in general is not enthusiastic about anything space related, unless it means money for their district. It’s a sad state of affairs, as I would rather have an official human exploration program for beyond LEO, but Congress is not interested at this time, which means the status quo remains the status quo.

Number of SpaceX press releases thrown to the winds in 2011- too many to count; number of operational Dragons flown in 2011– zero. Chance of Dragons ever turning a profit for SPaceX and carrying crews to the ISS– next to zero.

How many operational MPCVs were flown in 2011?

You see that quarter budget as “watching the grass grow”, but I doubt Congress would agree with you. And that’s the problem with your argument, that you think Congress will agree with you, but there is no indication that they will.

How you figure? The 2012 appropriation poaches $500 million and and admonishes NASA to produce even greater reductions in Science in the future, all the while boosting spending on SLS/MPCV above the Administration’s request.

I’d like to see evidence that Congress actually gives a damn about the Science budget beyond the bottom line.