So, if past history is any guide, that is exactly why MSFC will wind up with the job, or at least the biggest piece of it. Where the government is concerned, look at what’s sensible and what’s not, then bet on the “not” to carry the day.

Ian C: In a word, no.

And I wouldn’t trust such a list regardless. Politicians are not reliable. They change with the wind. Remember what Milton Friedman said:

From the article: “Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn and Rep. Brian Babin, all Republicans, expressed surprise and asked Bridenstine to reconsider. They argue that JSC should be in charge of the entire program, not just one of the three vehicles. … They also disagree with splitting the work between two Centers, ‘an unnecessary and counterproductive departure from the unquestionable success’ of the lander for the Apollo program.”

Why JSC? It is “the center with the longest history and deepest institutional knowledge of human space exploration.”

Rather than turning “the work once again into a Frankenstein monster, distributing responsibility in absurd ways,” these three Senators argue in favor of a unified management structure located at the facility that is already in charge of manned spaceflight, rather than splitting “the management of the different contractors … to different agencies, making for a very inefficient and badly managed program.”

One facility, one set of managers, all on the same team, close to each other physically and organizationally, with one leader who is able to quickly resolve any disputes. As Robert suggested, this consolidation should avoid the “as always, delays, cost overruns, bad designs, a lot of wasted money, and little accomplished.”

To me, this does not sound like Cruz, Cornyn, and Babin have yet been “captured by that swamp, participating in all the same corruption he railed against during his presidential run.” It sounds like they want what Robert prefers, a consolidated management structure that works efficiently and effectively.

I am not sure that Cruz has yet fallen under the curse that is shown in the movie “Mr. Smith Goes To Washington,” where the elder Senator, Paine, has turned from the eager Smith-like youngster into the corrupted swamp dweller.

It seems to me that it is NASA management that is trying to spread around the pork at the expense of efficiency and effectiveness. For this new moonshot, Bridenstine seems to be trying to coax on board the already corrupted senators and congressmen, or as many as he can.

Then again, distributing the space pork is exactly why NASA has centers in so many different states and congressional districts, why it was created that way. We should expect NASA’s management to perform the political dance that it was set up for in the first place.

This pork distribution is why the money is spent here on Earth, not sent to the Moon.