NASA continues to stall on heavy-lift rocket
It ain’t ever happening: NASA continues to stall on their final design for Congress’s mandated heavy-lift rocket.
No one should be surprised by this. Obama has never wanted NASA to build this rocket, when it was Constellation and now when it is the program-formerly-called-Constellation. Moreover, Congress hasn’t given NASA enough money or time to do it anyway. Better the program die and the money is used for something else, or cut entirely in order to reduce the crushing federal debt.
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It ain’t ever happening: NASA continues to stall on their final design for Congress’s mandated heavy-lift rocket.
No one should be surprised by this. Obama has never wanted NASA to build this rocket, when it was Constellation and now when it is the program-formerly-called-Constellation. Moreover, Congress hasn’t given NASA enough money or time to do it anyway. Better the program die and the money is used for something else, or cut entirely in order to reduce the crushing federal debt.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
“No one should be surprised by this. Obama has never wanted NASA to build this rocket, when it was Constellation and now when it is the program-formerly-called-Constellation. Moreover, Congress hasn’t given NASA enough money or time to do it anyway. Better the program die and the money is used for something else, or cut entirely in order to reduce the crushing federal debt.”
That’s right more attempted extra-legal stalling to try to avoid following the laws that Obama signed. And you love it. Since I am sure you are a very consistent and honorable type, you will (of course) cheer some future President on when their administration uses similar tactics to try to avoid obeying laws of which you approve.
Sure you will. :)
Joe2:
You are making many incorrect assumptions about where I stand on this. I might want the money for Constellation cut from the budget, but in no way am I approving Obama’s extra-legal stalling. In fact, I find it downright despicable, and have stated so numerous times on this website. See for example these posts: http://behindtheblack.com/?s=inconvenient+thing
I see by the links that you posted that you have disagreed with what you have called the Administrations “extra-legal stalling” on other subjects. None of those were related to this topic. Are you agreeing that this particular Administration action is extra-legal stalling?
Didn’t you read my previous post? I said that the Obama administration’s stalling on the program-formerly-called-Constellation is illegal in no uncertain terms. If Congress demands they try to build the heavy-lift rocket, the administration is required by law to do so.
The real problem is that Congress should not be demanding that this rocket be built. It is a waste of money and nothing more than pork. See: http://behindtheblack.com/behind-the-black/essays-and-commentaries/this-nasa-bill-is-nothing-more-than-pork
“I said that the Obama administration’s stalling on the program-formerly-called-Constellation is illegal in no uncertain terms.”
Must have missed the “previous post” you refer to. Never the less, however much we may disagree on space policy (and that disagreement appears to be considerable), we have nothing to argue about on this particular point. If the Administration continues to ‘stonewall’ it is going to be interesting (in the sense of the old Chinese Curse “may you live in interesting times”) to see how it turns out.
RZ, I kind of agree with you – don’t like the fact funds were cut but if NASA can’t do it right anyway, might as well spend the money more wisely. And like you, I’m beginning to think the private sector (SpaceX, etc.) can do it better, cheaper & quicker. I think the REAL crime here is that Obama left us with no plan at all – he obviously isn’t really very interested in space exploration – funds for that would cut too deeply into his social re-engineering of the country. So we’re left with an almost non-existant space prgram – what are we doing? What are the plans? What’s the next big adventure? Also think it was not a good idea to shut down the shuttle program until we had something to replace it. Buying rides on Soyuz at exorbitant prices isn’t a plan…