3 ms·

If the primary goal is sustainable payloads to the moon. I think Congress considers this a secondary goal over funding and jobs being directed at their states.

fooker 3y ago
> funding and jobs being directed at their states. This is more important than it seems on the surface and is often a good thing. You want to train and preserve local expertise with heavy industries. That ensures generations of successful companies rejuvenating your economy as opposed to relying on federal handouts.
- pfdietz 3y ago
  It completely fails as a justification for SLS, though. It's preserving nonsense that needs to die, instead of pushing the actually successful part of commercial space.
  - fooker 3y ago
    How do you recon Spacex has managed to recruit several thousand US citizens with the proper expertise? These people don’t grow on trees(/classrooms).
    - avmich 3y ago
      Surprisingly NASA, or ULA, couldn't recruit those very same citizens.
      - yazaddaruvala 3y ago
        I think you’re missing the point. NASA and ULA like programs trained and built expert training to create those citizens. Being able to recruit them is a non-goal.
        avmich 3y ago
        The missing is all yours :) . The citizens aren't the goal, the space achievements are. And that's where NASA and ULA were left in the past.
        yazaddaruvala 3y ago
        The only goal of any democratically elected government program is: improved citizens. It is in the definition: “for the people”.
- bryanlarsen 3y ago
  It's a good thing during down times. But now is not down times. Experienced, qualified space & rocket engineers are in high demand. Employing them to do useless make-work means they aren't available to work on rockets and space systems that will actually be useful in the future.
  - fooker 3y ago
    If you could predict good times and downtimes accurately, you’d be a multi-billionaire. These people enjoy a cushy revolving door between several private and public sector aerospace jobs.
    - Dylan16807 3y ago
      Who said anything about predicting? Reacting would be just fine.

fooker 3y ago

> funding and jobs being directed at their states. This is more important than it seems on the surface and is often a good thing. You want to train and preserve local expertise with heavy industries. That ensures generations of successful companies rejuvenating your economy as opposed to relying on federal handouts.

pfdietz 3y ago
It completely fails as a justification for SLS, though. It's preserving nonsense that needs to die, instead of pushing the actually successful part of commercial space.
- fooker 3y ago
  How do you recon Spacex has managed to recruit several thousand US citizens with the proper expertise? These people don’t grow on trees(/classrooms).
  - avmich 3y ago
    Surprisingly NASA, or ULA, couldn't recruit those very same citizens.
    - yazaddaruvala 3y ago
      I think you’re missing the point. NASA and ULA like programs trained and built expert training to create those citizens. Being able to recruit them is a non-goal.
      - avmich 3y ago
        The missing is all yours :) . The citizens aren't the goal, the space achievements are. And that's where NASA and ULA were left in the past.
        yazaddaruvala 3y ago
        The only goal of any democratically elected government program is: improved citizens. It is in the definition: “for the people”.
bryanlarsen 3y ago
It's a good thing during down times. But now is not down times. Experienced, qualified space & rocket engineers are in high demand. Employing them to do useless make-work means they aren't available to work on rockets and space systems that will actually be useful in the future.
- fooker 3y ago
  If you could predict good times and downtimes accurately, you’d be a multi-billionaire. These people enjoy a cushy revolving door between several private and public sector aerospace jobs.
  - Dylan16807 3y ago
    Who said anything about predicting? Reacting would be just fine.