SpaceX is NASA's biggest lunar rival | Hacker News Reader

SpaceX is NASA's biggest lunar rival

economist.com

16 pointsedward12 comments

https://archive.is/20241017140712/https://www.economist.com/...

SpaceX is a wake up call for humanity.

It says to us “You can do better. You have been slumbering for 60 years. Wake up.”

For all of his significant character flaws and human failings (not more, nor less, than the average guy, I’d say, but being high profile means that you are always on display) Elon Musk and his projects (and the many talented leaders, engineers, and technicians that he has caused to be in the same bubbles) are without doubt directly responsible for some of the most significant steps that humanity as a whole has taken in the last century. No one should idolise the man or blindly endorse his opinions and ideas, but we should all thank the gods that he exists and does what he does.

Humans will have him to thank indirectly for much of what humanity is going to become, and at least he is genuinely pro-human, above all other considerations. That can’t be said for many of his contemporaries, who are pro human up to a point, but aren’t willing to hang it all out to dry based on their supposed convictions.

The article's thinking is pretty confused - SpaceX's work for NASA has been a huge success, and that... shows that NASA is failing?

Criticizing NASA's continued support for the ULA seems valid though. But then, one could argue that the reason that the ULA is so bad is because NASA made the mistake of allowing themselves to rely on a single contractor, and that spending billions of dollars on no results is still worth it just to keep SpaceX on their toes.

SpaceX is the best prayer that NASA has.

If you want to read more about how terribly NASA is bungling its affairs: https://caseyhandmer.wordpress.com/2024/10/02/sls-is-still-a...

Here is the very spicy, most recent interview with Casey, on the Off-Nominal podcast:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd2oVbt_Z_U

NASA is Space X’s biggest competitor for government funds.

NASA is giving the money to SpaceX

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkd-HFJI83M

All jokes aside, I think this is one of the cases where capitalism is good. If you look at what a pork barrel dog the SLS is, and what a dog cost plus contracts are and how they have wrecked what were very capable organisations like Boeing and Northrop, SpaceX is a blessing. And unlike Bell Labs, I don't see SpaceX dominating the market forever without intervention.

It also makes me think of a joke in the latest Deadpool movie that I went to see. "I'm more like a one week on, one week off kinda guy, like they do in Denmark. You'll never see a Danish flag on the moon, but goddamnit they're happy."

"The company’s successes are also showing up the agency’s failings"

Capitalism may be boiling the planet's climate, but it damn sure can get shit done.

> Capitalism … can get shit done

I don’t disagree but n=1 for successful private space endeavours by my count. It’s possible simply that Gwynne Shotwell can get shit done.

Boeing, Northrup Gumman, the other private aerospace contractors before them...

But sure lets erase, decades of history to pretend like SpaceX was the first private company to make it into space.

And lets ignore the billions of dollars of government funding spent on SpaceX so that it could make it into space.

And while we're at it, let's ignore NASA giving SpaceX a chance in the first place, to light a fire under their primary contractor at the time....

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