Ares 1 Upper Stage Production contract award

[propforce]

... will be announced in 15 minutes <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />So I'd figure to get this thread started <img src="/images/icons/cool.gif" /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[PistolPete]

Well, looks like Boeing won. Not exactly a supprise or anything. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><em>So, again we are defeated. This victory belongs to the farmers, not us.</em></p><p><strong>-Kambei Shimada from the movie Seven Samurai</strong></p> </div>

 

[propforce]

You mean... superior engineering skills & experience, sensitive to customer needs, low ball bid price ... have NOTHING to do with winning a NASA contract? <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /><br /><br />Shocking... your cynical attitude is just ... shocking <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[no_way]

I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.<br />Sorta sounded like: oink, oink. <br /><br />EDIT: oh by the way, you never thought that there would be something great about Islam, but there is. Pork is forbidden.

 

[propforce]

Well... pork is pork. I wonder how many people will Boeing put on this payroll? Could it beat the ATK's 1,500 ? <br /><br />Either Boeing or LM, the winner has to BAIL NASA MSFC out of trouble by correcting (ummm... "help them with") their designs !<br /><br />This beats building a highway in Alaska that lead to nowhere...<br /><br /><br />Oh wait... on second thought.... <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[frodo1008]

I don't quite understand the attitude problem you and some of the others that support alt.space companies have with NASA! There were two bidders for this contract. Unlike contracts to Halliburton that are for many times any NASA contract, but still have only one contractor, that is Halliburton whose ex CEO just happens to be Cheney. Go ahead and talk about all the pork!<br /><br />That NASA does not make its own hardware but uses American companies (that hire American workers at middle class wages and benefits) certainly IS not pork in the traditional sense. What , you have something against American tax dollars going to hire American workers?<br />As a side benefit of our tax support for the American aerospace industry, it is the LAST American industry that runs a positive balance of payments with international trade!! <br /><br />At this time the alt.space companies do NOT have the experience to handle these particular contracts, and the traditional American aerospace companies DO!<br /><br />As it does actually hire American aerospace companies (which are at the very least among the very best in the world if not THE very best in the world) NASA is far and away the most efficient government agency there is. Most of the other government agencies use only their own people directly to do what they do (and I personally don't even object to this, at least they ARE hiring American workers!).<br /><br />Finally, NASA is NOT just an expense as other government agencies are, it IS an investment in not only the future of this great country, it IS an investment in the entire future of ALL mankind! Without the space agencies of the world (including the alt.space groups) there literally IS no secular future for mankind! <br /><br />IF that is pork, I will gladly eat it (through my taxes)!!!!<br /><br />

 

[vt_hokie]

I'm still hoping that this whole program goes the way of X-33, but I'm afraid it's gaining too much momentum to stop it at this point. It looks like we'll be stuck with the Thiokol SRB and the underperforming Ares/Orion system for the next 30 years. Great.

 

[mattblack]

Should have been a hydrocarbon first stage, then the heavy lift launcher could have had better-performing strap-on boosters... <img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p>One Percent of Federal Funding For Space: America <strong><em><u>CAN</u></em></strong> Afford it!!  LEO is a <strong><em>Prison</em></strong> -- It's time for a <em><strong>JAILBREAK</strong></em>!!</p> </div>

 

[frodo1008]

IF using such rockets as Heavy EELV's turns out to be far less expensive in the long run, then I can see that happening. But in the meantime congress does seem to believe that the current designs are less expensive at this time. <br /><br />Once again, NASA has to do what it can within the constraints of the funding it is being given. I am not totally happy with either that funding or the results that come out of it, but we do have to accept it in the meantime, and hope for better things in the future!<br /><br />We seem to be far more interested in the uselessness of war than going out into space!!!<br /><br />It does sadden me too!!

 

[windnwar]

Something i've been curious about, since they are going to use a derivitive engine from the delta to power the Ares V that is going to be a regen cooled nozzle, will that engine have a slightly higher ISP then the current ablatively cooled engines, and if it does, could using them on the Delta heavy make up the difference in launch payload between it and Ares 1. <br /><br />If that was the case, we could use Delta heavy instead of Ares, and either use the four segment SRB's with the Ares V so we could proceed directly on building the Ares V and skip the re-engineering of the SRB's or build the 5 segment SRB's and not have such a schedule crunch getting them ready while having launch capability sooner. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font size="2" color="#0000ff">""Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." --Albert Einstein"</font></p> </div>

 

[jimfromnsf]

"since they are going to use a derivitive engine from the delta to power the Ares V that is going to be a regen cooled nozzle"<br /><br />There isn't going to be a regen RS-68. NASA is going to the ablative nozzles.

 

[frodo1008]

That does make economic sense, as one of the things that keeps the RS68 prices down is the ablative nozzles! And as the Ares V is going to be an expendable launch vehicle, then it even makes more sense!<br /><br />I would like to see NASA at the very least keep the EELV option open however for possible use in the future. But I would not go against NASA if they don't! <br /><br />Hopefully, the Orion Ares I will work as advertized!