[Redleg Duke]

All of NASA’s rocket scientists, the folks who made NASA a success, have retired and mostly gone to that great range in the sky. Their minion gofers took over and being bureaucrats, did the only thing they were capable of doing, turning it into a bureaucratic money disposal!

[sarge83]

They would rather make sure everyone draws a paycheck to push paper and keep their contractors funded than actually do anything. NASA is always over budget and NEVER on time for any project. The new head of NASA needs to clean house of this infestation of bureaucrats and paper pushers and have a come to Jesus meeting with the contractors and let them know with Space X and the other private companies the days of bloated and over run contracts are over and make an example of two out of some contractors. Otherwise this agency needs to ride off into the sunset and its funds spent where they are getting results.

[Phlyer]

Their minion gofers took over and being bureaucrats . . .

One of the key changes since Apollo (which was successful) is that NASA has taken over many of the tasks previously done by contractors. And NASA bureaucrats make bad managers. A key part of that is contractors who overran that much would lose their jobs (even if the contract continued) while NASA bureaucrats just keep pouring money into something until it is cancelled entirely.

If they really want space projects to succeed, they need to keep NASA out of it until the hardware is checked out and working in space. Let the scientists/bureaucrats analyze the data with help from other scientists/bureaucrats in academia, but don't let them near any hardware or hardware decisions.