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This makes absolutely no sense and I assume little thought went in to it. From the very start, the Pioneer 1 satellite, NASA has used rockets developed and oper

This makes absolutely no sense and I assume little thought went in to it. From the very start, the Pioneer 1 satellite, NASA has used rockets developed and operated by other entities. A major, if not the principle, reason for NASA to exist is space science, not rocket science. Their satellites, research stations, etc are seriously important work. The rockets are definitely important, but primarily as a way to enable the space research. This is like saying an airline isn't a true airline because they don't design their own planes. It just doesn't make any sense.

dylan604 5y ago
And then they went on to develop Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Shuttles. All of them were able to launch payload into space. NASA can no longer do that. They have gone backwards in capability. The launch systems they are working on are so no where near working that multiple other company have been started and surpassed them in that amount of time. NASA is no longer a space launch company. They service existing missions that were planned/designed/launched when I was kid. This pretty much makes them a legacy. Where's the new?
- ceejayoz 5y ago
  > NASA is no longer a space launch company. Good. That was never the point of NASA. If they can contract out the launchers to SpaceX, ULA, etc., they can focus on the scientific aspects. Funding launch platforms via CRS and Commercial Crew was one of NASA's smartest and most cost effective decisions. > Where's the new? Quite a bit of it is on Mars actively exploring right now.
- dragonwriter 5y ago
  > NASA is no longer a space launch company. NASA has never been a space launch company. Or a company at all, for that matter. They’re a government administration that always contracted out most design work to private firms, with a mission much broader than space launch.
- ghaff 5y ago
  Who is "they"? You realize that most of the actual development work on all those programs was done by contractors/subcontractors in the aerospace industry?
- frosted-flakes 5y ago
  NASA just landed a highly advanced rover on Mars, with a helicopter that exceeded all expectations. They do new stuff all the time. And do you know how much funding they had during the moon landing era? Even then, the Lunar service module, LM, etc. were developed amd built by outside companies (North American, Northrup-Grumman, etc.). And then there's the political SLS debacle which soaks up so much of their funding.
- NikolaeVarius 5y ago
  Oh yes, everything was built by NASA. Its why components are called: Rocketdyne F-1, Grumman LEM, North American Rockwell CSM, Douglas S-IVB

dylan604 5y ago

And then they went on to develop Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Shuttles. All of them were able to launch payload into space. NASA can no longer do that. They have gone backwards in capability. The launch systems they are working on are so no where near working that multiple other company have been started and surpassed them in that amount of time. NASA is no longer a space launch company. They service existing missions that were planned/designed/launched when I was kid. This pretty much makes them a legacy. Where's the new?

ceejayoz 5y ago
> NASA is no longer a space launch company. Good. That was never the point of NASA. If they can contract out the launchers to SpaceX, ULA, etc., they can focus on the scientific aspects. Funding launch platforms via CRS and Commercial Crew was one of NASA's smartest and most cost effective decisions. > Where's the new? Quite a bit of it is on Mars actively exploring right now.
dragonwriter 5y ago
> NASA is no longer a space launch company. NASA has never been a space launch company. Or a company at all, for that matter. They’re a government administration that always contracted out most design work to private firms, with a mission much broader than space launch.
ghaff 5y ago
Who is "they"? You realize that most of the actual development work on all those programs was done by contractors/subcontractors in the aerospace industry?
frosted-flakes 5y ago
NASA just landed a highly advanced rover on Mars, with a helicopter that exceeded all expectations. They do new stuff all the time. And do you know how much funding they had during the moon landing era? Even then, the Lunar service module, LM, etc. were developed amd built by outside companies (North American, Northrup-Grumman, etc.). And then there's the political SLS debacle which soaks up so much of their funding.
NikolaeVarius 5y ago
Oh yes, everything was built by NASA. Its why components are called: Rocketdyne F-1, Grumman LEM, North American Rockwell CSM, Douglas S-IVB