Cost overruns plague U.S. space agency

[Hielor]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29513895/

Yes. Let's do the hardest jobs on the planet for as little money as possible.

 

[Eagle]

Yes. Let's do the hardest jobs on the planet for as little money as possible.

Part of their problem is that the job of NASA is poorly defined. So it ends up trying to do everything. Each little bit of everything gets its priorities set by an external party that changes its priorities yearly.

They don't have enough money to do everything so its obvious what happens. Stuff gets cut and we debate if the program in question deserved the axe.

NASA needs a defined mission and vision on how to get there. Orion was supposed to do that.

 

[Hielor]

Part of their problem is that the job of NASA is poorly defined. So it ends up trying to do everything. Each little bit of everything gets its priorities set by an external party that changes its priorities yearly.

They don't have enough money to do everything so its obvious what happens. Stuff gets cut and we debate if the program in question deserved the axe.

NASA needs a defined mission and vision on how to get there. Orion was supposed to do that.

Yup. Right now it's like..."Well, this task is kinda space-y. So that involves NASA."

IMO there should be two different organizations working together: a manned spaceflight agency, and an unmanned exploration/science agency.

 

[mjessick]

Does the GAO ever check up on Congress? They just overran by 94%.

 

[JamesG]

Yup. Right now it's like..."Well, this task is kinda space-y. So that involves NASA."

Somewhat, but a lot of times, its the other way around. NASA or a partner agency or institution comes up with an idea and goes to Congress and lobbies/politics to get it funded. Its how project managers et al. justify their existence. Politicians do not come up with space exploration missions on their own.

IMO there should be two different organizations working together: a manned spaceflight agency, and an unmanned exploration/science agency.

Oh God no! The last thing we need is another layer of bureaucracy and agencies metastasizing into competing organizations.

 

[Hielor]

Oh God no! The last thing we need is another layer of bureaucracy and agencies metastasizing into competing organizations.

Competition leads to improvement. Complacency breeds stagnation.

 

[spcefrk]

I don't recall where I found this originally but it's the best argument I've ever seen against the "lets pool all our money away from space until all the problems on the ground are solved" argument.

I saved it here: http://spcefrk.deviantart.com/journal/21489185/

It's a letter from Ernst Stuhlinger in 1970 and although it's on the long side, I've bolded some of the bigger points and it's a wonderful read for anyone the least bit interested.

 

[JamesG]

Competition leads to improvement. Complacency breeds stagnation.

Its not the good kind of competition.