Hacker News Reader

Comment by thallium205 | Hacker News Reader

And the fact it will cost about 10x as much compared to SpaceX rockets to deliver something to orbit. SLS is a total failure.

View on HN

Depends on what you consider it's mission objective. If you consider it a jobs program that we happen to get a rocket out of, it's an astounding success. If you consider it a rocket program it's an abject failure.

To give you an example of why it's a jobs program and not a rocket program. Congress forced NASA to build a multimillion dollar testing facility they never intended to use for the SLS nor for any other rocket NASA has.

Even judged that way, SLS is substandard. As a pointless jobs program, the TSA definitely has SLS beat.

It's amazing how many people hold this opinion (OP) when it could be resolved with < 1 minute of research.

Ideological commitments that could be resolved with < 1 minute of research, will not be resolved with < 1 minute of research.

You can blame Boeing for that, it's not like NASA is directly creating the rocket in-house. SpaceX is just disrupting the current MIC contracts.

You can absolutely blame NASA for that. They are calling the shots and making the design decisions.

Its not like NASA puts out a check and simply waits for the rocket to arrive. With the NASA process, they own the design, they are in meetings on specifications, they requests tests, ect. They micromanage and direct work down to the nuts and bolts, literally and figuratively.

By analogy, they are the head Chef in the kitchen. With SpaceX, they are the customer at the restaurant.

A lot of it is above even NASA's level. SLS had a bunch of requirements imposed on it by Congress who see NASA primarily as a jobs program/pork barrel and want to make sure the money goes to the right places.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com