Comments on: Constellation’s Future? [Updated] http://selenianboondocks.com/2009/04/constellations-future/ Random Musings from the Warped Minds of Jonathan Goff, Ken Murphy, John Hare, and Kirk Sorensen Sat, 05 May 2012 20:53:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Roderick Reilly http://selenianboondocks.com/2009/04/constellations-future/comment-page-1/#comment-4544 Roderick Reilly Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:02:22 +0000 http://selenianboondocks.com/?p=952#comment-4544 Thank you, John for this illuminating post. As someone who worked at the old Space Station Program Office, and then later worked with both the DC-X and Clementine teams, the contrast in approaches and program costs and results was both startling and revealing. And Eric: thank you for the link to the NASA blogs. I read them. Good to know the thinking inside NASA. Thank you, John for this illuminating post. As someone who worked at the old Space Station Program Office, and then later worked with both the DC-X and Clementine teams, the contrast in approaches and program costs and results was both startling and revealing.

And Eric: thank you for the link to the NASA blogs. I read them. Good to know the thinking inside NASA.

]]> By: Eric Collins http://selenianboondocks.com/2009/04/constellations-future/comment-page-1/#comment-4539 Eric Collins Mon, 13 Apr 2009 02:07:17 +0000 http://selenianboondocks.com/?p=952#comment-4539 FYI and FWIW... <a href="http://wiki.nasa.gov/cm/blog/Constellation/posts/post_1239223292981.html" rel="nofollow">Where things stand with Constellation</a> - via <a href="http://wiki.nasa.gov/cm/blogrss/feed?entity=recentpostings&count=10&format=rss&auth=false" rel="nofollow">NASA Recent postings</a>. FYI and FWIW…

Where things stand with Constellation – via NASA Recent postings.

]]> By: MG http://selenianboondocks.com/2009/04/constellations-future/comment-page-1/#comment-4537 MG Sun, 12 Apr 2009 23:25:59 +0000 http://selenianboondocks.com/?p=952#comment-4537 Rich, The problem isn't the engineers so much as it is the (mis)interpretation of policy into program. Imagine, if you will, that a major civil engineering and construction firm has organized and mobilized for a major construction project -- a bridge, say. The client then decides that instead of a bridge, they want a tunnel. Do you include the accrued costs into the costs of the tunnel? What about the "standing army" of subcontractors and workers that turned down business for the bridge construction project? The designers may be very busy throughout, updating construction drawings, specifications, and schedules. They don't FEEL like they are spinning their wheels, but the program is, all the while burning through cash. And continues to do so until the program is cancelled altogether, or reconfigured into something that is actually affordable and achievable. Rich,
The problem isn’t the engineers so much as it is the (mis)interpretation of policy into program.
Imagine, if you will, that a major civil engineering and construction firm has organized and mobilized for a major construction project — a bridge, say.
The client then decides that instead of a bridge, they want a tunnel.
Do you include the accrued costs into the costs of the tunnel? What about the “standing army” of subcontractors and workers that turned down business for the bridge construction project?
The designers may be very busy throughout, updating construction drawings, specifications, and schedules. They don’t FEEL like they are spinning their wheels, but the program is, all the while burning through cash.
And continues to do so until the program is cancelled altogether, or reconfigured into something that is actually affordable and achievable.

]]> By: Rich http://selenianboondocks.com/2009/04/constellations-future/comment-page-1/#comment-4535 Rich Sun, 12 Apr 2009 08:38:25 +0000 http://selenianboondocks.com/?p=952#comment-4535 I'm going to be unnecessarily flippant, but what do $2bn worth of salaried people do all day? If each one is earning in the region $100-$200K pa then we're talking at least 10,000 people. How can building rockets be so hard that it needs such an army of folk? I’m going to be unnecessarily flippant, but what do $2bn worth of salaried people do all day? If each one is earning in the region $100-$200K pa then we’re talking at least 10,000 people. How can building rockets be so hard that it needs such an army of folk?

]]> By: MG http://selenianboondocks.com/2009/04/constellations-future/comment-page-1/#comment-4534 MG Sun, 12 Apr 2009 06:59:32 +0000 http://selenianboondocks.com/?p=952#comment-4534 Jon, Nice summary of the high (mostly) fixed costs that Constellation incurs. I suspect that NASA's will return astronauts to the moon at some point after New Space has opened the first McDonald's there. Congrats again on Yuri. Quite the handsome lad! Jon,

Nice summary of the high (mostly) fixed costs that Constellation incurs. I suspect that NASA’s will return astronauts to the moon at some point after New Space has opened the first McDonald’s there.

Congrats again on Yuri. Quite the handsome lad!

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