NASA Shuts the Door on 'Dumb and Dumber' Policies

Townhall.com ^ | April 8, 2019 | David Wallace

[Kaslin]

“So you’re telling me there’s a chance!”

This famous line, spoken by Jim Carrey’s famous Lloyd Christmas character, has become bigger than the quirky, outgoing limousine driver who once traveled the world with an abandoned suitcase full of money to pursue a girl that had no interest in him.

Over the last several days, Carrey’s line has essentially been said over and over by many starry-eyed space geeks, who are pushing NASA to use inappropriate, flashy technology for President Trump's long-anticipated Moon mission. The insistence and persistence of these Star Trekkies is putting personal curiosity over America’s mission success, timeliness, and cost and must be ignored.

For years, NASA has been building the Space Launch System (SLS), the soon-to-be most powerful rocket in United States history, to service the same kind of deep space missions to the Moon and Mars that the current administration is envisioning.

NASA isn’t building it for fun: it began the project because no other rocket currently exists with these capabilities, which are needed for U.S. interests.

Nevertheless, the Star Trekkies don’t seem to want NASA to use SLS for its missions, preferring the Falcon Heavy – a flamboyant rocket featured in hefty PR pushes by their hero, Elon Musk, instead.

Never mind that unlike SLS, the Falcon Heavy was not designed for missions like the Trump administration’s upcoming Exploration Mission-1, which will feature the Orion spacecraft orbiting around the Moon. Regardless of its capabilities, they want to see Musk’s rocket do it even if it means prolonging already extended ETAs or increasing costs that have already exceeded initial expectations as a result of the pioneering nature of the project.

For a minute, these sycophants had a burst of energy when, in a March committee hearing, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine stated that his agency must consider all options to accomplish that objective. However, their glimmer of hope was shot down on April 1, when rather than telling April Fool’s jokes, Bridenstine gave more insight into the current state-of-play at NASA.

Bridenstine said that after carefully looking at all of the commercial options over two weeks – from the United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV to SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy and Crew Dragon – NASA found that none of them, even collaboratively, would be capable of meeting the needs for the upcoming Moon Mission.

Call the press. The one rocket – SLS – that is capable of sending the Orion space craft, astronauts, and cargo to the Moon in one mission is the only one appropriate for use, and transitioning to others would either be impossible or add to time, risk and cost. Go figure.

Nevertheless, in Lloyd Christmas-like fashion, Bridenstine’s comments didn’t stop the Star Trekkies from running a victory lap.

Principally, this is due to one part in Bridenstine's talk, when he stated: “Here’s a solution that did work: A Falcon Heavy with a regular old Falcon upper stage and an Orion and a European service module,” he said. “That actually did work on one rocket.”

Seeing this quote without context could lead one to believe that the Falcon Heavy is a reasonable option for the upcoming Moon mission and beyond. And that’s exactly what the Star Trekkies want you to believe.  

There’s a chance!” they’re essentially saying, “Bridenstine’s telling us there’s a chance!”

Headlines, like NASA chief says a Falcon Heavy rocket could fly humans to the Moon, started circulating. One author even went on to write: “Despite contrary comments made one week prior, NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine has affirmed – this time in no uncertain terms – that a two-week study investigating commercial options for launching the Orion spacecraft to the Moon has concluded that Falcon Heavy could be the only practical option if NASA chooses to proceed.” He continued: “Reading between the lines, Administrator Bridenstine has effectively put the expensive and delay-ridden SLS rocket on notice…”

Although it’s true that in his comments Bridenstine said it may be possible to use the Falcon Heavy for such services in the long run, after some kinks are worked out, many commentators skimmed over what he said earlier in his remarks.

“Here’s the problem: there’s a whole host of challenges that had to be addressed,” Bridenstine said. “On top of it all, we’re talking about putting a massive fairing on top of a Falcon Heavy and that massive fairing, of course, is going to create some sort of shockwaves … and those shockwaves are going to impact the side boosters on a Falcon Heavy in ways that we don’t even know.” He continued: “while that option was attractive and possible there was so much risk and so much cost and so much schedule involved that it wouldn’t accelerate on either cost or schedule.”

Everyone should hope that more competition arises in the aerospace sector and that over time, the Falcon Heavy’s capabilities extend, but to knock SLS and put creative spin on NASA’s words as it stands by this rocket that’s essential for the U.S.’s needs for the important EM-1 mission just isn’t right.

The Trump administration is not dumb and recognizes that space policy is bigger than visual optics and PR stunts. While even Bridenstine himself has complimented the Falcon Heavy on its beauty, as everyone should, the fact is that it’s simply not the right rocket to go to the Moon right now, no matter how much David Bowie music Musk puts on in the background. In fact, it wasn’t even a year ago when Musk said there’s a “good chance” it wouldn’t make it into orbit.

But the Musk fanboys can stay in their fantasy world sheltered from reality: what matters is that NASA is sticking by the SLS to ensure a productive, successful mission. At the end of the day, that’s what counts, and thanks to the leadership of Jim Bridenstine and others, the Trump administration will have yet another victory notch in its belt in no time at all.

[VanShuyten]

Orion slave girls?

[SunkenCiv]

The SLS is a flaming ****pile, and that's not going to improve. The writer is either on the take or just full of ****. The first FH commercial launch may be going up tomorrow (otherwise, the coming weekend) to put a 60 ton satellite into orbit. About the only thing standing in the way of continued success for the FH is Musk's desire to leave it behind in favor of the stainless steel "starship".

SLS can't get itself off the ground without extended SRBs -- imagine, this is just a reengineering of the Space Shuttle launch system, which was in development or in use for over 35 years, and the intent is to build another system to nowhere (the "Deep Space Gateway" which will eat the entire budget, and never be used to go anywhere).

In this episode of SpaceX in the News, we take a look at Starhopper's first and second test hops; new job postings for Starship & Super Heavy at Cape Canaveral; Falcon Heavy's successful static fire and launch date; and the India anti-satellite test. | SpaceX in the News - Episode 22 (STARHOPPER LIFTED OFF, TWICE!) | CloudLicker | Published on April 6, 2019

[Nifster]

No he accused the local native swimmer if being a pedophile. It was wrong and outrageous and occurred during one of Musk’s manic tantrums. He became an outcast after being doped up and Tweeting a deal with the Saudis that didn’t exist. The SEC came down on him and required the company to change things

I do t care if you are a Musk fanboy at least get the facts correct

[Zathras]

I saw the first parts back in 2013.
I saw a Orion mockup and and an SLS launch tower prototype.
I also saw launch pad filled with giving tours and no one really working.

NASA is dying and will continue to die.

[precisionshootist]

Was just there myself. It is inspirational until you realize most everything you see there is a half a century old. We have done precious little in the past 50 years. In little over 50 years we went from kitty hawk to landing on the moon. In the 50 years since the moon landing we’ve invented the global warming scam, fake renewable energy, massive govenment spying on and monitoring Americans 24/7, Elected a fake manchurian candidate president, Muslim outreach......

[NorthMountain]

'Whitey on the Moon': Race, Politics, and the death of the U.S. Space Program, 1958 - 1972

If you want to know what went wrong ...

[Bryan24]

Oh, it is real. I’ve seen the parts in testing. It is a hoss.

[RinaseaofDs]

I know.

I get it.

However, the new SMS is something else, and I think a permanent presence on the Moon and prestaging gear for Mars is not far off.

We also do now have several commercial companies with launch capabilities. This is so important.

[frogjerk]

What an awesome place!

[precisionshootist]

I know it’s important but we will never get there with priorities like “the first all women spacewalk”. The room in Houston called mission control once held the smartest men in the room, any room for that matter. Only the very best got there and all were 110 percent dedicated to American greatness and success. I do not believe that is true today. NASA more resembles the DMV than the entity that landed humans on the moon and brought them back alive. If you have never seen the series “when we left earth” it’s well worth your time. I hate to be a downer but that NASA does not exist today. We can no longer recognize basic truth and we think we are going to the moon or mars?

[RinaseaofDs]

God works in interesting ways.

The previous five days I was on a cruise in Mexico. I just happen to find The Right Stuff on my Kindle (I put it there a couple of years ago) and decided to read it. Took two days.

SOOO much better than the movie. So much better, then we decided to hit JSC. Gave me a WHOLE new perspective on the Mercury rocket program (which really sort of gets glossed over at JSC).

The Rocket Boys never envisioned, or even wanted, pilots as astronauts. They envisioned that the Radar Information Officer would be perfect.

Nearly ever Mercury mission save Wally Schirra’s required an actual pilot of test pilot caliber for the safe return of the craft. Gordon Cooper lost nearly every automatic system and had to fly the craft back to earth using visual referential navigation on the last Mercury flight.

If you haven’t read the book, I really couldn’t recommend it highly enough on more than just the historical level.

In a way, it’s the counterpoint to all those insufferable anti-war novels of the 60’s and 70’s (Vonnegut comes to mind).

The only thing more horrible than war is slavery. Nobody really considers that much, nor do they value it, having lived in a free society their entire lives (how could it be thus?).

[RinaseaofDs]

I don’t disagree.

A couple of important things:

1) The advances made is bringing space exploration to within the means of above-average engineers and to average human specimens.

2) Unless and until we have a legitimate national security motivation, the program will be advanced through commercialism and capitalism than through government controlled programs.

I’m comfortable with this. There is a ton of money to be made in the commercialization of space. That’s where the brains will go, toward the bucks.

As for the legitimate national security threats? They exist, without a doubt. I don’t know what we’re doing in that area, but I trust the current admin on this account for the moment.

Reagan was the last guy who took it seriously. I think DJT does as well.

[PreciousLiberty]

Well, that author displays ignorance aplenty...

Falcon Heavy is already flying. SLS is already three years behind schedule, way over budget, and will be something like ten times as expensive per flight - if it ever flies at all.

SLS is a political porkfest, but due to its political nature, it won’t be canceled. Yet.

[cgbg]

It is even worse than you think...

https://www.aulis.com/moonbase2017.htm

[NorthMountain]

That certainly is "different". Different from reality. "Thinking" is another matter entirely.

[sarge83]

I read the Falcon heavy could easily do the Orion launch with the Delta IV second stage. The SLS is over budget and reinventing the wheel blindingly stupid. Kill it, go the Falcon heavy/Delta IV combo and use the SLS funds to work on your Orion craft, a lander and other doable things.

NASA has to decide, do you want to be on the cutting edge and explore again or do you want to be a government works program.

[SuperLuminal]

"It’s like the least imaginative science name ever and it’s been slapped on everything already."

Agreed... "Betelgeuse" would be a much better choice... /s

[wardamneagle]

I have one word on whats wrong with SLS pgm mgmt.......Huntsville.
Those of you who were involved with Shuttle.......know what I mean.

[RocketMan1]

Thanks for sharing this! I saw the link earlier today from the National Barack Channel all but putting an obituary on the SLS. I hadn’t been able to read it until I saw your post and the link from Townhall. I will now close the tab on the NBS article and not bother to read the rest. I should have known the NBS article was #FakeNews before I clicked on it this morning.

[cgbg]

You got a peek outside the matrix—just bookmark it—you may want to visit someday. ;-)