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I don't understand what the point of this project is anymore. It is moving remarkably slowly, despite reusing old technology (the RS25 engines) instead of inven
by throwawaysea 6y ago
I don't understand what the point of this project is anymore. It is moving remarkably slowly, despite reusing old technology (the RS25 engines) instead of inventing from scratch like with SpaceX's new Raptor engines. And several of the launches planned for SLS have already been shifted to commercial providers because it is not ready. I think this is ultimately a failure of federal contracting favoring large incumbents with little by way of performance incentives, instead of cultivating a healthy competitive ecosystem to get the maximum bang for the taxpayer's buck. They need to just move on and address the systemic problems associated with how government agencies get work done (which is to say, slowly and poorly).
- nickff 6y agoWhy would they change, when it has worked so well for them in the past? NASA can just blame all the problems on inadequate funding, and are never held accountable.
- mft_ 6y agoA cynic might suggest that SLS is not so much a rocket as a job creation scheme. As such, presumably it’s still very effective. Until such misaligned incentives are removed from the way that NASA is funded (and ideally, more broadly, removed from US Politics) such boondoggles will always continue.