NASA has begun a study of the SLS rocket’s affordability

[smp]

From Ars Technica:
"Concerned by the program's outsized costs, the NASA transition team appointed by President Joe Biden initiated the study. The analysis is being led by Paul McConnaughey, a former deputy center director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, as well as its chief engineer."

https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/03 ... rdability/

smp

[Arctic]

It amazes me that the Apollo Program put men on the Moon only a few years after development on the project started. Are we not reinventing the wheel here?

And why are we not contracting with SpaceX and using their reusable Falcon Heavy, reusable launch vehicle? Way cheaper, and the private sector seems more capable of getting things done on time.

[Ylem]

Maybe Musk should just fund NASA

[pakarinen]

Looking at costs, eh? That will be the end of the SLS.

MASA? NASAM?

[AstroBee]

It amazes me that the Apollo Program put men on the Moon only a few years after development on the project started. Are we not reinventing the wheel here?

And why are we not contracting with SpaceX and using their reusable Falcon Heavy, reusable launch vehicle? Way cheaper, and the private sector seems more capable of getting things done on time.

A different world back then. The Apollo program was really just the end game from the Gemini program which was the next logical step from the Mercury program. You have to remember all of those programs from 1962 on had one end goal, getting to the moon. And we had a "reason", real or imagined, beating the Russians. Nowadays, people just don't have that kind of "war-effort" mentality. Now it's all about who and which companies can milk the government for the last dollar.
As much as I love the ideal of space exploration, manned space exploration should be in the private sector now like SpaceX. Leave the long game deep exploration probes to NASA like Juno, Voyager, New Horizons, etc...

[Ylem]

It amazes me that the Apollo Program put men on the Moon only a few years after development on the project started. Are we not reinventing the wheel here?

And why are we not contracting with SpaceX and using their reusable Falcon Heavy, reusable launch vehicle? Way cheaper, and the private sector seems more capable of getting things done on time.

A different world back then. The Apollo program was really just the end game from the Gemini program which was the next logical step from the Mercury program. You have to remember all of those programs from 1962 on had one end goal, getting to the moon. And we had a "reason", real or imagined, beating the Russians. Nowadays, people just don't have that kind of "war-effort" mentality. Now it's all about who and which companies can milk the government for the last dollar.
As much as I love the ideal of space exploration, manned space exploration should be in the private sector now like SpaceX. Leave the long game deep exploration probes to NASA like Juno, Voyager, New Horizons, etc...

Well said!!

[GCoyote]

The SLS is hardware looking for a need. Until we solve the medical/biological issues that keep us from going to Mars, the hardware is irrelevant. We can do manned missions to the moon and any asteroids of interest with the existing fleet of heavy launchers. We can do robotic missions for decades to come using for less money using smaller launchers.

[Refractordude]

I think the government should explore affordable housing. America may soon be facing a mass eviction problem.

[Graeme1858]

I think the government should explore affordable housing. America may soon be facing a mass eviction problem.

What the Government should do is of no interest to this forum.

Regards

Graeme

[Tim456]

Well this isn’t going to be pretty. I smell more bad press for Boeing. It will be earned of course.