QuoteGold, in his email, said the layoffs “were caused by a perfect storm of events.” “We had hoped that by 2014 or 2015 that America would again be able to fly its own astronauts. Unfortunately, the prospect of domestic crew transportation of any kind is apparently going to occur years after the first BA 330 could be ready,” Gold wrote.
Gold, in his email, said the layoffs “were caused by a perfect storm of events.” “We had hoped that by 2014 or 2015 that America would again be able to fly its own astronauts. Unfortunately, the prospect of domestic crew transportation of any kind is apparently going to occur years after the first BA 330 could be ready,” Gold wrote.
Quote from: 2552 on 09/30/2011 06:09 pmQuoteGold, in his email, said the layoffs “were caused by a perfect storm of events.” “We had hoped that by 2014 or 2015 that America would again be able to fly its own astronauts. Unfortunately, the prospect of domestic crew transportation of any kind is apparently going to occur years after the first BA 330 could be ready,” Gold wrote. Apparently he has no faith in Commercial Crew delivery dates wrt Boeing and Sierra Nevada. Being the natural skeptic that I am I would share, somewhat, his concerns wrt those 2 because they are so totally dependant on NASA's good graces to even get to flight status testing. However, it begs the question of his opinion regarding crewed Dragon. SpaceX appears to be on track to support those dates for crewed flights so why the sudden shift? Crewed Dragon should be flying by then and I know Elon would love to be the sole source transportation service to Bigalow stations. A commercial spacecraft being launched on a commercial launch vehicle to go to a commercial station does *not* need NASA's blessing in any way, shape or form.Has he had private conversations with Elon about this?
Quote from: clongton on 09/30/2011 06:27 pmQuote from: 2552 on 09/30/2011 06:09 pmQuoteGold, in his email, said the layoffs “were caused by a perfect storm of events.” “We had hoped that by 2014 or 2015 that America would again be able to fly its own astronauts. Unfortunately, the prospect of domestic crew transportation of any kind is apparently going to occur years after the first BA 330 could be ready,” Gold wrote. Apparently he has no faith in Commercial Crew delivery dates wrt Boeing and Sierra Nevada. Being the natural skeptic that I am I would share, somewhat, his concerns wrt those 2 because they are so totally dependant on NASA's good graces to even get to flight status testing. However, it begs the question of his opinion regarding crewed Dragon. SpaceX appears to be on track to support those dates for crewed flights so why the sudden shift? Crewed Dragon should be flying by then and I know Elon would love to be the sole source transportation service to Bigalow stations. A commercial spacecraft being launched on a commercial launch vehicle to go to a commercial station does *not* need NASA's blessing in any way, shape or form.Has he had private conversations with Elon about this?NASA's own estimates for commercial crew readiness has slipped to 2017 because of the lack of funding for commercial crew. There is a reason that the President was requesting $850 million for commercial crew.
Quote from: yg1968 on 09/30/2011 08:10 pmNASA's own estimates for commercial crew readiness has slipped to 2017 because of the lack of funding for commercial crew. There is a reason that the President was requesting $850 million for commercial crew. Nonsense
NASA's own estimates for commercial crew readiness has slipped to 2017 because of the lack of funding for commercial crew. There is a reason that the President was requesting $850 million for commercial crew.
In answer to a question about the budget, Mr. McAlister explained that there is not enough money. For this strategy, CCP believes the $850 million budget request will put NASA on the right path. If funds are significantly less than that, the United States will not be able to launch a commercial crew in 2016, at which point there are real problems. The United States is committed to the ISS through 2020. If the program slips too much, industry will balk and the risk for the entire program goes up. If there are cuts, even in the early years, the program will need to extend and the risk increases. The overall funding has to be balanced or there will be a gap.
Such a reality check. No buyers means no rockets / spacecraft / exploration. Period. It's the kind of thing that you always know, but often take for granted because it's more fun to get lost in technical specs and in dreams of a sci-fi inspired future.The lack of buyers also illustrates the potential pointlessness of sending people into LEO. Really, what tangible benefit would this bring to a country new to the space age? SpaceX has a solid business model launching satellites, but habitats for people? Why? Don't get me wrong I would love to see 1000s of BA modules twinkling overhead but the cold reality of their practical utility is really smacking me in the face right now.We need both a strong governmental AND commercial space program to keep this ball rolling, it seems. There is, as of yet, no commercial basis for manned space operations.
Right. Wanting vs actually buying. Dreams vs reality.The updated BA site shows that they're proceeding directly to BA330. Maybe I missed this announcement before. What current vehicles have the necessary faring volume?
After a decade of building buildings, making mockups and flying subscale models, it may be the case that Mr. Bigelow has decided that his business plan didn't make sense, apart from the small business with Boeing.No one here ever presented a realistic scenario where a Bigelow station could turn a profit.
Quote from: yg1968 on 09/30/2011 08:10 pmQuote from: clongton on 09/30/2011 06:27 pmQuote from: 2552 on 09/30/2011 06:09 pmQuoteGold, in his email, said the layoffs “were caused by a perfect storm of events.” “We had hoped that by 2014 or 2015 that America would again be able to fly its own astronauts. Unfortunately, the prospect of domestic crew transportation of any kind is apparently going to occur years after the first BA 330 could be ready,” Gold wrote. Apparently he has no faith in Commercial Crew delivery dates wrt Boeing and Sierra Nevada. Being the natural skeptic that I am I would share, somewhat, his concerns wrt those 2 because they are so totally dependant on NASA's good graces to even get to flight status testing. However, it begs the question of his opinion regarding crewed Dragon. SpaceX appears to be on track to support those dates for crewed flights so why the sudden shift? Crewed Dragon should be flying by then and I know Elon would love to be the sole source transportation service to Bigalow stations. A commercial spacecraft being launched on a commercial launch vehicle to go to a commercial station does *not* need NASA's blessing in any way, shape or form.Has he had private conversations with Elon about this?NASA's own estimates for commercial crew readiness has slipped to 2017 because of the lack of funding for commercial crew. There is a reason that the President was requesting $850 million for commercial crew. Nonsense
As far as we can tell, this is far more about transportation timelines than about the business case, so people arguing that point on either side are showing their agenda.
