Orion still overweight after its SRR!

[no_way]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>very simple basic questions about Orion, The Stick, and VSE in general that aren't being answered in non-technical straightforward ways.<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br />The obvious problem here is you are asking the wrong questions. ESAS architecture has basically nothing to do with technical analysis or cost-effectiveness or sane choices.<br />However, it has everything to do with politics, aging workforce welfare programs and generally bringing the pork home.

 

[j05h]

Cynics or realists?<br /><br /><img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div align="center"><em>We need a first generation of pioneers.</em><br /></div> </div>

 

[nwade]

DocM - <br /><br />Its not that they're poorly thought through... Government work may not attract the absolute best people, but there are still plenty of great thinkers on a lot of these projects.<br /><br />The problem is that the beauracracy and management tends to force these things into untennable compromised or flawed designs. Trying to do too much with too little, or be too many different things "all in one", or force parts of the project to be done a certain way (for district pork or lobbyist patronage or whatever)... And then the poor engineers are forced to come up with something that somehow works under all of these constraints.<br /><br />Of course, the engineers and scientists are also sometimes so dedicated to making a particular idea or technology work that they cause their own share of problems (X-33 "aerospike engine", Rotary Rocket centrifugal engine, etc).<br /><br />--Noel<br />

 

[docm]

Either way the effect is the same. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[holmec]

As far as the fighting personnel carriers, that whole concept is questionable across the board, not just the Bradley.<br /><br />But I think the problem in government projects is that every other politician wants to put in their two cents and you get an menagerie of ideas on one project. So when it comes to practically working through the project there are issues. But you still get a working piece of equipment.<br /><br />I don't see Orion or VSE getting cancelled at all. NASA is committed to it and I hope politicians won't mess with it to kill it and in so doing killing or seriously damaging the manned space program.<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#0000ff"><em>"SCE to AUX" - John Aaron, curiosity pays off</em></font></p> </div>