NASA boss Bolden goes head to head with lawmakers over FY13 budget

[cycleroadie]

This is all really dumb. Why don't we just pay the slightly extra (slightly compared to SLS/Orion) money we need to fund commercial crew? It's so much better than spending it on Russia. We'll be getting DOUBLE the capability, too, since we'll be get two providers.

That's a big assumption considering no commercial is man rated yet and with Dragon's second Demo flight sitting on the sidelines for months. Not that I like the alternative (Soyuz), but commercial has a lot to prove yet IMO.

[Jim]

This is all really dumb. Why don't we just pay the slightly extra (slightly compared to SLS/Orion) money we need to fund commercial crew? It's so much better than spending it on Russia. We'll be getting DOUBLE the capability, too, since we'll be get two providers.

That's a big assumption considering no commercial is man rated yet and with Dragon's second Demo flight sitting on the sidelines for months. Not that I like the alternative (Soyuz), but commercial has a lot to prove yet IMO.

And how has NASA led projects done?

[Peter NASA]

JWST should be made to pay for commercial crew.

Why not SLS or MPCV?

Because they are far more important than JWST ever was or will ever be.

[JohnFornaro]

Is there a link to the video of the hearing?  Many thanks for posting.

[go4mars]

Because they (SLS or MPCV) are far more important than JWST ever was or will ever be.

Do you mean more important politically?  Or on a $/unit utility basis? 

[robertross]

Is there a link to the video of the hearing?  Many thanks for posting.

The one for the Senate was posted here:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=28218.msg870380#msg870380

[BeanEstimator]

Bolden's statement was a response to KBH's question as to why they don't downselect right now.. his reply was that if he had downselected the last time he was instructed to do so, it would have been when Boeing wasn't even in the running.

this was my understanding as well.  he was trying to say, in not so many words, "if i had downselected early, i would have cut out some now serious competitors"

[Jim]

JWST should be made to pay for commercial crew.

Why not SLS or MPCV?

Because they are far more important than JWST ever was or will ever be.

That is not based on any facts.  SLS and MPCV still can go the way of Ares I, Shuttle-C, etc. 

[Peter NASA]

JWST should be made to pay for commercial crew.

Why not SLS or MPCV?

Because they are far more important than JWST ever was or will ever be.

That is not based on any facts.  SLS and MPCV still can go the way of Ares I, Shuttle-C, etc. 

Yes, it is based in facts. Also, JWST has already gone the way of Ares I, etc, yet they still pump billions into it.

[Lurker Steve]

JWST should be made to pay for commercial crew.

Why not SLS or MPCV?

If commerical crew is going to steal funding from any other programs, it should be ISS operations. After all, these 2 programs are tied at the hip anyway. Where can we find an extra 400 million per year in the ISS budget to give to commerical crew development ? Perhaps if we weren't giving 500 million dollar loans to failed solar energy companies, we could afford to give Elon a few extra hundred mil.

[Jim]

Yes, it is based in facts. Also, JWST has already gone the way of Ares I, etc, yet they still pump billions into it.

You can't show the facts because there aren't any.  You can't predict the future.  Proof of your perceived importance of SLS or MPCV won't be known for many years.

JWST has not be cancelled, Ares I has.

[Jim]

If commerical crew is going to steal funding from any other programs, it should be ISS operations. After all, these 2 programs are tied at the hip anyway. Where can we find an extra 400 million per year in the ISS budget to give to commerical crew development ? Perhaps if we weren't giving 500 million dollar loans to failed solar energy companies, we could afford to give Elon a few extra hundred mil.

No,  Take away ISS operations and then commercial crew is not needed.
ISS operations is what we have now and more needs to added to fully utilize it.

[Namechange User]

Perhaps if we weren't giving 500 million dollar loans to failed solar energy companies, we could afford to give Elon a few extra hundred mil.

By all accounts thus far, the Obama Administration has given Elon Musk over 1 billion dollars for Tesla, Solar City and SpaceX. 

[Jim]

Perhaps if we weren't giving 500 million dollar loans to failed solar energy companies, we could afford to give Elon a few extra hundred mil.

By all accounts thus far, the Obama Administration has given Elon Musk over 1 billion dollars for Tesla, Solar City and SpaceX. 

Given?  Some was loans and others was for goods and services provided.  Some the monies were 'given" by the Bush administration.

Solar City didn't get the loan.

So, I believe it doesn't amount to a billion yet.

COTS - approx 1/4 billion
Teslsa - approx 1/2 billion
CRS - much less 1/4 billion

[ugordan]

But 'given' just sounds so much better.