[MikeD]

One of the reasons space things cost so much is the extra paperwork. As an example, my company built a UV spectrometer for an upcoming ESA mission. The pricetag was $4 million. My company is building an almost, but not quite, identical clone of that spectrometer using spare optics for an upcoming NASA mission. The price tag will be at least $6 million. Why the difference if most of the "hard" work has been done already? NASA paperwork & documentation.

MD

[XBob]

155 - "One of the reasons space things cost so much is the extra paperwork."

How true, and that is only part of the problem.

I have had the 'priveledge' of doing the same type of work for both civilian companies on private projects and for government and government projects. The difference is just amazing, to do the same work.

I found that generally, as a rule of thumb, it takes a minimum of 3 times as much effort, an average of 7, and up to 12 times the personnel and effort to do the same work for government (including NASA) as it does for a civilian company to accomplsh the same thing. (and this has nothing to do with the amount of effort or laziness on government work). It has to do with attitude - no one in government wanting to take responsibility for anything, so they build in so many hurdles, that by the time the task is so convolutedly accomplished, no one can be blamed for anything if it goes wrong. Notice, for example, how NASA killed 7 astronauts, and yet no one is to blame, and no one was fired (just a few, transferred to other, perhaps higher paying jobs.

So, if you are only charging 50% more for the same 'item'
and the work is already basically done, you are really giving them a bargain.