You’d do well to review her days at NSI/NSS. As a lobbyist, she advocated station over a return to the moon. GHarver has been part of the problem for decades. The best thing to happen to NASA in years has been her departure.

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“I’m watching a 3 1/2 hour video of a May 1991 House hearing on the ballooning Space Station Freedom costs. Nothing much has changed in 22 years.” says Stephen.

=yawn= Seen it. You’d do well to review some of the transcripts and early video available on hearings as well as press reports on contracting and cost overruns on shuttle.

The Kraft Report was not well rec’d. He was wrong. Kraft was successful, but not infallible. Same w/Von Braun.

I specifically meant NASA where so many still don’t understand the tea leaves and it’s not HSF only. A lot of areas will be re-assessed…

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/os-nasa-sls-garver-20130906,0,5536178.story

Whether one likes Lori or not I think we should all wonder why a necessary agent of change sees the need to depart the agency that is in such a dire need of change.

Sometimes it’s easier for force change by being on the outside. Let’s say in the 1960s that Martin Luther King somehow managed to get elected to Congress. He would no longer be able to lead an effective resistance, or else he’d be a one-term Congressman.

Personally, I think Lori has done all she can do on the inside. Congress, reluctantly, is starting to acknowledge they can’t kill commercial crew without killing the ISS. No one seriously contends any more that SLS/Orion can be used for ISS space taxi service. No one is suggesting NASA start planning a government space taxi vehicle. This game is won.

NASA has signed a number of Space Act Agreements, funded and unfunded, that have positioned the private sector to take over Low Earth Orbit. The big one, in my opinion, is the unfunded SAA in March between NASA and Bigelow for what may lead one day to a commercial lunar program. Unless Congress passes a law prohibiting it, it’s going to move forward.

Those who think NASA does not need to change are delusional or don’t work or interact in any way with NASA.

I’m watching a 3 1/2 hour video of a May 1991 House hearing on the ballooning Space Station Freedom costs. Nothing much has changed in 22 years. Members of Congress beating up on an administrator about understated costs because Congress mandated NASA take a particular direction. I’m uploading the video now to YouTube and it should be available tomorrow; it’s a fascinating watch.

I hope NASA understands that a $2.5B cut only is the beginning.

I’m constantly reminding people that the bottom line for the U.S. space program is no longer NASA’s budget. It’s NASA + NewSpace. If you look at it that way, then the budget is way up.

Those who think NASA does not need to change are delusional or don’t work or interact in any way with NASA.

Lori, and Charlie, have put NASA on the right track by opening it to commercial partners even more than before. On that topic those who think NASA does things on its own are as delusional as those who think NASA does not need to change.

NASA has an enormous pool of talents that need to be steered to help the US public at large all the while accomplishing their NASA specific missions. Is it possible? Of course it is. Can we be on the Moon as so many are dreaming of? Absolutely. On Mars? Possibly. Should we allocate $3.0B to the private sector. Maybe. It all depends how we go about it. Do we need a vision? Yes and no. We have the VSE which was not all that bad. Let’s implement the darn thing and forget big phallic symbol who only impress the space cadets of here and there.

Anyway. I hope NASA understands that a $2.5B cut only is the beginning. Why might you ask? Simple. If NASA can accomplish their mission with their allotted funds they will never see any increase for a long time. Who will decide if they can accomplish? Well simple. Those who have already cut the budget. So? I’ll leave it to you to formulate the future.

http://nasawatch.com/archives/2013/09/notes-from-nasa.html