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Cancel the project. Do it in 15 years when the cost drops dramatically. SpaceX, AI, robotics, etc will make significant improvements over that time. “If NASA
by melling 3y ago
Cancel the project. Do it in 15 years when the cost drops dramatically.
SpaceX, AI, robotics, etc will make significant improvements over that time.
“If NASA manages to develop and launch the Sample Retriever Lander by 2028, the samples could be returned to Earth in 2033”
NASA developing these one-off projects is expensive and time consuming. We need most of the technology to develop commercially.
- sho_hn 3y agoCommercial will benefit massively from the R&D results of this mission, which is attempting many engineering firsts and enablers. SpaceX is standing on the shoulders of past giants, too. The thing is, companies fail more easily financially than governments do. It's a good use of gov funds to minimize risks of productization for the private sector, to give them a competitive leg up. This is how the US space industry is winning, imho - spoken as a European.
- melling 3y agoYes, companies usually don’t have unlimited funds. Shareholders start complaining (e.g Metaverse). It’s quite simple. The budget doubled to $10 billion. Cancel the project. We’ve been promoting a faster, better, cheaper NASA for 3 decades. It’s not working. Let’s find a better way to increase innovation. https://www.upi.com/amp/Archives/2000/03/15/NASA-study-faster-better-cheaper-fails/3418953096400/ https://www.upi.com/amp/Archives/2000/03/15/NASA-study-faste...
- andrepd 3y ago>It's a good use of gov funds to minimize risks of productization for the private sector, to give them a competitive leg up. It's a good use to spend public funds to boost private profit? Well it certainly is a good use, but only for one of those parties.