https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4L8MY056Vz8
I've had several exchanges recently with frens who are under the impression that NASA has been starving the objective of space exploration, and otherwise preventing any national trend in that direction. I have been trying to provide information to support a more objective, factual view.
This is a recent address by Mike Griffin in which he has very insightful observations from his experience in the field and with NASA in particular. Some of the interesting points are:
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If you do an inflation-compensated comparison of time frames between the Apollo program and now, you find that NASA is spending more money than ever before.
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And that it seems to be of poor effect, because it took far longer to design and develop the Space Launch System than the Saturn V.
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A big part of the problem is the idea that such space development can all be hired out to "commercial" entities---yet be managed by NASA personnel who no longer have any experience in doing this work themselves.
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On the one hand, NASA is a "national security agency," insofar as it is a way of demonstrating capability supremacy to the world. On the other hand, it is a servant of political direction, beyond the power of the Administrator to alter.
His remarks are 25 minutes long, with some question answering for another 8 minutes. He tends to stand back from his microphone, so his voice will sound soft for most of the time.
NASA Is a huge fraud. With a fraction of rhe resources look what musk has done
That is exactly what Griffin pointed out as NASA's failure. But their space probe and satellite work is first rate. It depends on what they are doing and who is stirring the pot. (It is not for nothing that the Space Launch System [SLS] is commonly referred to as the "Senate Launch System.")