cretinbob: SpaceX chosen to let Americans look at the skies with pride once again rape and exploit space and overcharge the United States government, thereby increasing costs

LOL. The US government itself is the king of overcharging and increasing costs. Where have you been the last 3 years? Ever heard of the deficit?

Deficit? What is this "deficit" thing you speak of?

cretinbob: SpaceX chosen to let Americans look at the skies with pride once again rape and exploit space and overcharge the United States government, thereby increasing costs

Watch out, we're dealing with an oracle over here.

It's been a long time...
Gettin' from there to here.



/sorry

gopher321: Screw rockets, where's my damn space elevator, already? And don't hand me that boo-hoo technology hasn't advanced enough crap...

/mostly kidding
//still would be better than rockets.

Shouldn't be that hard, just have the ISS crew lower a rope

cretinbob: SpaceX chosen to let Americans look at the skies with pride once again rape and exploit space and overcharge the United States government, thereby increasing costs

Actually, they are cheaper per launch then pretty much any us vehicle yet. Orders of magnitude cheaper then the STS system.

cretinbob: SpaceX chosen to let Americans look at the skies with pride once again rape and exploit space and overcharge the United States government, thereby increasing costs

Let's put it simply: SpaceX has designed, built and launched TWO completely new rockets, and become the only private company to run a capsule to the ISS and back. They did this in less than ten years and for less than one-quarter of what the dummy Ares 1 test cost. They'll have people in LEO years before the official NASA team and for one-twentieth the cost per launch.

Came here for women in latex, catsuits and overall, second-skin shiny stuff..

/Oh, SpaceX, not spandeX.....

Leading the world in computer generated images of what space stations may look like in THE FUTURE.

It's 2012. Someone, please tell me why I'm not living on the Moon.

What's with all the SpaceX hate? Do they have a dog-raping subsidiary or something?

The Bestest: russlar: It's 2012. Someone, please tell me why I'm not living on the Moon.

Because aliens.

Some 'Splainin' To Do: I was skeptical of SpaceX's long term strategy. It would appear that I was wrong.

I still am. They work their engineers like dogs and many burn out after just a couple of years. I'm not sure what they're going to do when their people want to start dating and have families. Unless they really think they can go on forever running on the youthful energy of newly minted grads.

natazha: cretinbob: SpaceX chosen to let Americans look at the skies with pride once again rape and exploit space and overcharge the United States government, thereby increasing costs

Let's put it simply: SpaceX has designed, built and launched TWO completely new rockets, and become the only private company to run a capsule to the ISS and back. They did this in less than ten years and for less than one-quarter of what the dummy Ares 1 test cost. They'll have people in LEO years before the official NASA team and for one-twentieth the cost per launch.

But... but profits! But corporations! But capitalism!

natazha: cretinbob: SpaceX chosen to let Americans look at the skies with pride once again rape and exploit space and overcharge the United States government, thereby increasing costs

Let's put it simply: SpaceX has designed, built and launched TWO completely new rockets, and become the only private company to run a capsule to the ISS and back. They did this in less than ten years and for less than one-quarter of what the dummy Ares 1 test cost. They'll have people in LEO years before the official NASA team and for one-twentieth the cost per launch.

I hope you're right. When I was touring the science museum in st Louis, it really.made me mad to see all the progress we made in the 50s and 60s just to see all chucked out the window a few years.ago.

If space X really can get people back into space faster and more efficient than NASA, then perhaps cancelling the space shuttle was a step in the right direction. As of now, I am not convinced. Our NASA programs still don't have an objective. The whole asteroid thing is such an odd goal.

Fish in a Barrel: What's with all the SpaceX hate? Do they have a dog-raping subsidiary or something?

Because they are a direct comparison to government trying to achieve the same goals, and doing it in less time, with more success and for less money. SpaceX is the embodiment of private business taking on something that was previously government-only, and doing a better job at it. Any time that happens, there's going to be a predictable amount of hate from certain crowds.

gopher321: Screw rockets, where's my damn space elevator, already? And don't hand me that boo-hoo technology hasn't advanced enough crap...

Without mono-molecular filament cable it's just not going to happen. So, need "A" technology before "B" Technology is possible.

russlar: It's 2012. Someone, please tell me why I'm not living on the Moon.

Because we haven't discovered / developed a non-chemical rocket propulsion system. Mass being what it is, it prevents us from moving things to / from space and landing it on the moon.

Obama just ended socialism in space.

The Bestest: I'm curious as to what were the metrics involved regarding who gets how much money. SpaceX gets $440M and all, and that's cool considering they actually successfully docked with the ISS and everything, but Sierra Nevada gets $212M and Boeing gets even more than SpaceX ($460M)

Well, Lockheed does have a history of putting things into space as well.

Nem Wan: Obama just ended socialism in space.

It never stood a chance, really.
How do you expect to explore for the good of all mankind without either a funding source or a way to trim the bottom line?

/the most fictional component of star trek was the free, limitless, energy.

russlar: It's 2012. Someone, please tell me why I'm not living on the Moon.

Why would you? Are you a Nazi?


Znuh: Came here for women in latex, catsuits and overall, second-skin shiny stuff..
/Oh, SpaceX, not spandeX.....

Ask and ye shall receive. Gabrielle Drake as Lt. Gaye Ellis:

Completely off topic, but has anyone see that 'Universe' show (How The Universe Works?)

Phil is on it from time to time, and I swear he could be Adam Savages brother - if he grew his hair out a bit he would kinda look like Savage, but he really SOUNDS like Savage. I dunno if it is the vocal inflections or what. They both get really excited about what they are saying (Savage for engineering type stuff, Phil for Astronomy). I look up every time I hear his voice. Very strange, thinking I'm going to see Savage. Pretty cool to see and hear educated passion. Please, whatever station shows this, for the love of all that is good, don't get all reality-show on us. Thank you.

Oh well. We now return you to your regularly scheduled discussion.

\Also, I lost my Bob the Angry Flower note that was stuck to my monitor. Bite me.

gopher321: Screw rockets, where's my damn space elevator, already? And don't hand me that boo-hoo technology hasn't advanced enough crap...

Y'know, even if you jump off at the 10,000mile point for a very eccentric orbit...
That's still one HELL of a long trip riding in a wheeled vehicle with no failure or repair provision

/I suppose you'd have it pulling a craft with reentry capability for emergency abort...

taurusowner: SpaceX is the embodiment of private business taking on something that was previously government-only, and doing a better job at it.

Please note... the difference is CONGRESS. Musk is just doing whatever he WANTS to do and then letting the government pay him for it. Rather than taking instructions from the Honorable Members, he makes decisions, develops a plan, and STICKS TO IT. No committee hearings about his designs, no worries about in WHO'S DISTRICT the door handle is going to be manufactured. No start/stop/revise/cancel/redesign/restart/justify-to-some-panel... If you actually followed the history of the Shuttle ... my god! "Sorry, that design doesn't have the cross-range capability the military wants" "that design will take too much front-loaded funding to develop, to make the budget work we're giving you 35% this year and we'll make it up in later cycles" "Oh, we're not building the Space Station after all... make the Shuttle work as a temporary space station"

What Musk is doing is showing the world the REAL WASTE in time and effort of a development program micro-run by Congress.

Why is NASA giving money to third parties to make them spacecraft? Does Ford ever rely on Chevy to make them vehicles? I'm sure it's tons of bureaucracy and bullshiat, but was wondering more specifically.

tallguywithglasseson: I know, right now we have to beg the Soviets, amirite? Shameful skies.

[crying eagle.gif]

I prefer to think of them as our chauffeurs. Or mechanics.

Mixolydian Master: Why is NASA giving money to third parties to make them spacecraft?

Because they always have:

Wikipedia Article on Apollo
"North American Aviation won the contract to build the CSM, and also the second stage of the Saturn V launch vehicle for NASA."
"The contract for design and construction of the Lunar Module was awarded to Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation"
"... launch escape system (LES) in case of a launch failure,..., so the Little Joe II was built by General Dynamics/Convair"

Even our nukes are built by contractors "Contracts were initiated in the 1940s and 1950s, primarily for nuclear weapons and other nuclear research, design, and production"

Ford and GM (as well as the other vehicle manufacturers) use a huge variety of vendors and subcontractors to supply parts and vehicle components.

The Bestest: russlar: It's 2012. Someone, please tell me why I'm not living on the Moon.

[pictures.mastermarf.com image 400x327]

Is that from a movie?

Mixolydian Master: Why is NASA giving money to third parties to make them spacecraft? Does Ford ever rely on Chevy to make them vehicles? I'm sure it's tons of bureaucracy and bullshiat, but was wondering more specifically.

Pardon me? Are you asking why the government buys vehicles from vehicle manufacturers even though vehicle manufacturers don't buy their own product from competing firms?

It might interest you to know that the federal government buys auto-mobiles from auto-mobile manufacturers; aircraft from aircraft manufacturers, trucks from truck manufacturers, tanks/APCs/BIFVs/etc. from manufacturers of such vehicles, forklifts from forklift manufacturers, buses from bus manufacturers, trailers from trailer manufacturers, riding lawnmowers from riding lawnmower manufacturers, and now, finally, spacecraft from spacecraft manufacturers.