3 ms·

This is a poor argument and poor reasoning. This way, instead of improving, we continue to regress (“Look there! They’re doing it too!” argument). We should be

This is a poor argument and poor reasoning. This way, instead of improving, we continue to regress (“Look there! They’re doing it too!” argument). We should be halving expense on all fronts while demanding the same output - whether it’s military or space spending. Look at ISRO’s budget, high efficiency is key. Just because DoD budget is $750b, doesn’t mean that we should have a free pass to waste money. I’d like to see DoD spending cut in half while holding vendors accountable. Same with space industry. Another way to think about this if it helps is for $11b, we should have gotten more done. Imagine James Webb Telescope + 5 more projects for the same $11b. Wouldn’t that be awesome?

gifnamething 5y ago
That's barely enough for a negative revenue electric vehicle startup these days
kdmccormick 5y ago
I think GP's parent is a fair argument against criticisms that start and end at "$11B is a lot of money!". It is valid to point out that $11B pales in comparison to the US's defense budget as a means of providing context for how big these really big numbers are. If someone were to point to specific ways in which the project wasted money, that'd be different. But I haven't seen such detailed criticisms. Nobody is arguing that wasting money is a good thing.
scrubs 5y ago
Totally agree. Since when would it kill us to manage money better regardless of the node on the organizational chart to which it belongs? Never.
dotnet00 5y ago
An ISRO comparison seems a bit absurd given the hugely different scales of science and technology development being done. Much of the technology used in the JWST was practically invented for it. Not to imply that ISRO isn't doing important work, but simply looking to cut costs for the sake of cutting costs is just as bad as the waste you're complaining about. It'd be like comparing whatever it cost TSMC to switch to 3nm to what it cost to setup 20nm fabs. What we should be pushing for is more accurate cost estimates. It isn't a problem that the latest and greatest in space telescopes cost $11B, technological progress is often expensive, it's a problem that initially we were told it would cost $2B. If we have a better cost estimate from the start, we can better control our expectations.
- systemvoltage 5y ago
  You're being uncharitable. It was just to make a point about efficiency, not to compare technological aspects of it. I could have used paper-clip manufacturer instead of ISRO for that matter.

gifnamething 5y ago

That's barely enough for a negative revenue electric vehicle startup these days

kdmccormick 5y ago

I think GP's parent is a fair argument against criticisms that start and end at "$11B is a lot of money!". It is valid to point out that $11B pales in comparison to the US's defense budget as a means of providing context for how big these really big numbers are. If someone were to point to specific ways in which the project wasted money, that'd be different. But I haven't seen such detailed criticisms. Nobody is arguing that wasting money is a good thing.

scrubs 5y ago

Totally agree. Since when would it kill us to manage money better regardless of the node on the organizational chart to which it belongs? Never.

dotnet00 5y ago

An ISRO comparison seems a bit absurd given the hugely different scales of science and technology development being done. Much of the technology used in the JWST was practically invented for it. Not to imply that ISRO isn't doing important work, but simply looking to cut costs for the sake of cutting costs is just as bad as the waste you're complaining about. It'd be like comparing whatever it cost TSMC to switch to 3nm to what it cost to setup 20nm fabs. What we should be pushing for is more accurate cost estimates. It isn't a problem that the latest and greatest in space telescopes cost $11B, technological progress is often expensive, it's a problem that initially we were told it would cost $2B. If we have a better cost estimate from the start, we can better control our expectations.

systemvoltage 5y ago
You're being uncharitable. It was just to make a point about efficiency, not to compare technological aspects of it. I could have used paper-clip manufacturer instead of ISRO for that matter.