Part of the issue, is that Space Flight is considered SAFE.
Nobody working with NASA wants anyone to get hurt or die. But space flight is NOT a safe endeavor, politicians abuse NASA by flying unqualified people for political purposes. When something goes wrong - NASA is shut down for YEARS.
NASA is scared to take risks, this is why SpaceX is making such Herculean leaps. When Elon blows up Starships 1 and 2; he moves along with what he learned. NASA would still be doing a report on what happened during launch to cause the debris storm, let alone on the multiple engine shutdowns.
NASA is perhaps the most politically correct Gov't agency there is, because unlike the DoD, NASA is at the mercy of Congress for funding every year. You cannot fund a decades long program, with an annual budget that changes due to politics. You wind up spending MUCH more, and taking MUCH longer.
As one who spent 38 years in aerospace manufacturing, you are spot on. Boeing and NASA are scared of their shadows... Bloated middle-management too close to retirement hold everyone back because they don’t want failure in their final years. The “Right Stuff” peeps were gone by the 80’s...
Part of the issue, is that Space Flight is considered SAFE.
Nobody working with NASA wants anyone to get hurt or die. But space flight is NOT a safe endeavor, politicians abuse NASA by flying unqualified people for political purposes. When something goes wrong - NASA is shut down for YEARS.
NASA is scared to take risks, this is why SpaceX is making such Herculean leaps. When Elon blows up Starships 1 and 2; he moves along with what he learned. NASA would still be doing a report on what happened during launch to cause the debris storm, let alone on the multiple engine shutdowns.
NASA is perhaps the most politically correct Gov't agency there is, because unlike the DoD, NASA is at the mercy of Congress for funding every year. You cannot fund a decades long program, with an annual budget that changes due to politics. You wind up spending MUCH more, and taking MUCH longer.
As one who spent 38 years in aerospace manufacturing, you are spot on. Boeing and NASA are scared of their shadows... Bloated middle-management too close to retirement hold everyone back because they don’t want failure in their final years. The “Right Stuff” peeps were gone by the 80’s...