Today's House Science and Technology Committee Hearing

Wow Rep. Grayson (FL-D) just flayed Bolden.

This is ridiculous! Every senator and congressperson is bringing up the fact that the "plan" has no defined milestones or goals. All Bolden says is: "sorry we don't have that information yet. The budget just rolled out a few weeks ago. "

Excuse me? Who cares if the budget just rolled out on feb 1st? Shouldn't he and his team have prepared for these budget hearings by preparing a meaningful program with goals before the rollout considering the amount of money/lives are on the line? It's like they came up with this idea two days before the rollout.

I guess this means I can ask congress for 20 billion dollars to fund my plan to go to a faraway place. Don't worry congressman, I'll get you the specifics in the next few months.. for now though I take cash or check.

Folks:

Oh, oh. NASA is in BIG trouble!

The committee is just tearing into Bolden and the new NASA "direction".

But what everyone seems the be missing (or ignoring) is the fact that Ares was underfunded and overly technical.

Also, notice the serious badmouthing of Spacex?

Does it scare them that a company with less then a thousand people can do what they've done in less then ten years (from scratch) at less then a tenth the cost that "Government Rockets Inc." could?

He's smart to keep his company in private hands. He avoids the "rocket built by committee syndrome" and the "workforce built by committee syndrome", both of which has ruined "private" space ventures in the past.

Two quotes from the science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein:

"A committee is a creature with six or more legs and no brain."

"An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications."

(from "The Notebooks of Lazarus Long" which appeared in the novel "Time Enough For Love")

I'm hoping the Falcon 9 will be the mouse that roared!

tinker

To be fair SpaceX did not develop this vehicle from "scratch" The Merlin engine is a Fastrac Engine. Not to mention all of the other technologies that SpaceX is utilizing that are derive from NASA development. Not that that is a bad thing. Why would you reinvent the wheel. I think what they have accomplished thus far is fantastic and I pray they have great success, but you cannot compare the Ares I with the Falcon 9.

Somebody please post the video?

Grayson was rude and ignorant. He said that Flexible path was tied to CxP when in reality there were three full versions of it provided in the report. Only one version used the Ares V lite. The other two used SDHLV or commercial rockets.

So much for universal applause for the new space policy:

Space Pioneer Burt Rutan Blasts NASA Plan
Wall Street Journal
By ANDY PASZTOR

Commercial space pioneer Burt Rutan has sharply criticized Obama administration proposals to outsource key portions of NASA's manned space program to private firms.

The White House wants NASA to use outside firms to develop and operate new rockets and spacecraft that would transport astronauts into orbit and beyond, functions that had previously been considered a core function of the agency. Mr. Rutan, a veteran aerospace designer and entrepreneur, in a letter addressed to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, says he is "fearful that the commercial guys will fail" to deliver on the promises to get beyond low earth orbit, and that the policy risks setting back the nation's space program.

"That would be a very big mistake for America to make," according to the letter sent to lawmakers that is expected to be released Wednesday during a Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing on the future of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Such comments are unexpected from a maverick engineer long identified with pushing the boundaries of commercial space projects, and the man who designed the first commercial suborbital rocketship.

"From my past comments on NASA's" lack of direction and success, "an observer might think that I would applaud the decision to turn this important responsibility over to commercial developers," the letter says. However, he adds, that's "wrong."

Mr. Rutan has prided himself on avoiding being tied to federal funds, and his company, Scaled Composites, is currently developing a fleet of space-tourism rocketships entirely with private funds.

While reiterating his support for commercial space projects, Mr. Rutan compared depending too heavily on them at this point to giving up "an airport where I know I can get in on the approach, for one where I might" be able to land.

Write to Andy Pasztor at andy.pasztor@wsj.com

Ok, everyone is really concerned about jobs and I think people want to know A) When do you envision Constellation layoffs beginning and B) When do you envision the "new program" being fully staffed?

I can't for the life of me figure out why NO Senator or Representative has asked this question.

Bolden apparently wants to save as much of the workforce as possible. How do you do that when there are no timelines for the new program starts vs Constellation terminates?

IE... You can't save any of the workforce if you lay them off in October and then finally put out an RFP in December. I would want Bolden's word that there will be ZERO Constellation layoffs until the new plan is finalized and fully staffed.

Like Bolden said with regards to his new commercial vision, I am going to hold their feet to the fire that they hire ex-Aerospace workers and create the jobs they said they would.

WELL, Hold Bolden accountable that he won't decimate the workforce until he has transitioned everyone that can be transitioned.

So Senators and Representatives if you are reading this...... ASK HIM !!!!!

To be even more fair, Space X did not develop this vehicle on their own dime. They have been spending tech development money from DARPA and milestone payments from NASA to keep them going. It is just a government development under a different name, once you look 'under the hood.' 90% of the COTS money has been spent, and the launch has slipped by two years.

Would someone please tell Mr. Bolden about SpaceX's renegotiated milestone payments, and the original schedule that COTS had upon award.

A new way of spending the government's money is not entrepeneurial, its just plain clever.

And would someone please tell the Florida delegation that all of the OSC launches will be out of Wallops?

AeroMac:

Good points! The Fastrac had NASA funding and was considered for use by Rotary Rocket. The heat shield on the Dragon capsule, NASA developed. What I meant by Spacex "going it alone" was that they chose to build as much as they could "in house", where they had complete control of quality and budget. Not some subcontractor saying "Well, we thought we could do it that cheap... but if you really want the hardware...". Not some bureaucrat saying "Well, we decided to change our specific needs... again!".

The Shuttle program was built on Apollo heritage. They made it "bigger and better" until just as many people as in the Apollo program had jobs.
Don't get me wrong here, the Shuttle is the greatest spaceship ever but the program blinded people into thinking "bigger and better" was the only way to space. The exact same thing was going to happen with the constellation program too.

Other nations have proved otherwise, that small and simple can be safe.

Now American private companies are leveraging that knowledge and designing in America, building in America and will fly from America. As a Canadian, I really can't understand what's wrong with your leaders.

tinker

"Oh, oh. NASA is in BIG trouble"

Just the Obama/Garver plan for NASA.

It's fast becoming toast.

Yep, this travesty is about done thank goodness! So get your fork ready and make way for that fat lady about to enter stage right...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrY44-DVv2U