SLS is Constellation, just with a bigger rocket. It hasn’t gone away for seven years, even after its cancellation after four years, and still has staunch bipartisan support in congress. I guess you just missed that.

I hope Obama cancels it. But they will just reinstate it with another round of hearings and legislation. As much as that would be fun to watch again, I would rather they just cancel Orion and make it a reusable uncrewed heavy lift launch vehicle so we can get on with it.

Ideas, anyone?

“You seem a little overly obsessed with the SLS and Constellation…”

Hardly. Focused maybe. Wanting to educate, yes. But unlike the 2012 Presidential election where I self-paid to go work for Obama in Ohio, I don’t spend any money on Constellation and SLS, just time educating people here and on other blogs.

“…as opposed to lots of other ripe low hanging fruit…”

The low hanging fruit is to use what we have first, and only build what we need, when we need it. The SLS, and any plans you propose for it, are not “low hanging fruit”.

“…but how has that ‘job’ been going the last seven years?”

You seem to be confusing me with someone else. But if you are referring to Constellation, it was cancelled, and the SLS is being set up for failure by Congress, so I don’t have to wait too long for that to go away. In the meantime, there is lots of innovation coming up through our aerospace industry, both small and large.

This is actually one of the most exciting times for space enthusiasts, since we are seeing the transition of responsibility from government to private industry for transport to LEO, and the beginning of many foundational technologies that even NASA recognizes is far ahead of what it can do.

The challenge is getting Congress to stop using NASA as a way to fund jobs in certain districts, and to get NASA back to it’s NACA roots. That is coming slowly, but it would come a lot faster if the SLS died sooner. But like I said, it will die, it’s just a matter of time, since Congress and the President won’t bump up NASA’s budget just to cover an unneeded program.

“All I can say is that the ‘job’ of trying to fix it has been very productive.”

Well, not me directly, since space is just a passion for me, not a job. But thanks…

“I’m just the guy with a plan when reality finally catches up with them.”

Yes, but your reality is, I think, in another dimension. Time will tell.

Is there any evidence that NASA is actually working toward a lunar base or Mars? Congress ordered NASA to produce a BFR, but AFAIK there’s no indication as yet that it’s going to be used for anything specific.

We taxpayers are supporting this loser’s salary so that he can cut and paste from documents that other staffers wrote years ago? Really?

You seem a little overly obsessed with the SLS and Constellation as opposed to lots of other ripe low hanging fruit, but how has that ‘job’ been going the last seven years? Any word on a cancellation yet? All I can say is that the ‘job’ of trying to fix it has been very productive.

Oh, now you’re going to fix the political system with your plan?

Reality is working out well enough. I’m just the guy with a plan when reality finally catches up with them. Same thing applies to Democrats.

“They are already funding it.”

Not what you describe.

“My job is just to present the physics and engineering of the task with an eye on value and cost.”

Using your definition of “job”, my job is to make sure that my tax dollars are not wasted on efforts like yours that are ill-defined and not the responsibility of the U.S. Government.

“We are at a point in the evolution of space thinking that very few changes are expected from here on out.”

In 1899, the Commissioner of the U.S. Patent Office said “Everything that can be invented has been invented.” You are likely as wrong as he was.

“The bulk of the work needed to sort this out has more or less been accomplished in the last year.”

Maybe the theory has been developed, but my background is manufacturing, and even though someone imagines a new product, it may take a lot of innovation in order to make that product work. So it is with any type of exploration. If you need any validation of that, just look at the history of the urine recycling system on the ISS – nice theory, but it didn’t work as planned.

“You could participate in that thinking but you’re a one trick pony.”

Hardly. You don’t even know me.

“The GOP has to decide, do they want a smart elephant or a stupid one?”

Oh, now you’re going to fix the political system with your plan? Wow. Not only is it a plan to save Earth, but it’s also a plan to get rid of the Tea Party. You must be the smartest person on Earth…