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I dont understand this notion that the literal Government is building and flying all of these things and that private companies achievements mean nothing. Inge

I dont understand this notion that the literal Government is building and flying all of these things and that private companies achievements mean nothing. Ingenuity was build with multiple non Government contractors. The Lunar Module was developed and built by Grumman under Government contract. Rocketdyne developed the J2 Boeing/North American/Douglas designed and built the Saturn 5. Why do people attribute all of these vehicles to the Government when they are were contracted to private companies to be built? Its very strange that people deny that SpaceX created modern reusable boosters and they fall back on the damn DC-X project when a) McDonnel Douglas was the manufacturer of it b) it was a prototype that never made it to orbit, c) is widely considered a failure Meanwhile SpaceX is absolutely trouncing every other company with Launching ability while Beoing, given every single possible kickback from the Government can't launch their Starliner for another year after already a year of delays. They have developed the only full flow staged combustion cycle rocket that has ever gotten off the ground, something even the Soviets couldn't manage.

folli 5y ago
Only governments (used to?) have the financial muscle to bankroll literal moonshots. From that standpoint it didn't matter so much if all the genius engineers are employed by the government or by a subcontractor.
friedman23 5y ago
> Why do people attribute all of these vehicles to the Government when they are were contracted to private companies to be built? Because the alternative doesn't fit their ideological world view.
ohiovr 5y ago
Modern rocketry was essentially invented by a loner that few took notice until WW2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_H._Goddard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_H._Goddard might want to actually read the wiki before downvoting
usui 5y ago
I think you are taking that point too literally. Yes, of course anything a government undertakes on will be built by private enterprise at some level. However, the heart of these talking points were about how governments bankrolled the financing necessary to make the developments, whereas now it has shifted a little toward private enterprise. If it weren't for the funding, private companies of the past would rarely have embarked on making such things.

folli 5y ago

Only governments (used to?) have the financial muscle to bankroll literal moonshots. From that standpoint it didn't matter so much if all the genius engineers are employed by the government or by a subcontractor.

friedman23 5y ago

> Why do people attribute all of these vehicles to the Government when they are were contracted to private companies to be built? Because the alternative doesn't fit their ideological world view.

ohiovr 5y ago

Modern rocketry was essentially invented by a loner that few took notice until WW2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_H._Goddard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_H._Goddard might want to actually read the wiki before downvoting

usui 5y ago

I think you are taking that point too literally. Yes, of course anything a government undertakes on will be built by private enterprise at some level. However, the heart of these talking points were about how governments bankrolled the financing necessary to make the developments, whereas now it has shifted a little toward private enterprise. If it weren't for the funding, private companies of the past would rarely have embarked on making such things.