NASA's Shuttle Successor Fails Parachute Test

Originally posted by Blaine91555


It seems as if there is nothing that NASA can get right these days. Is it total incompetence on the part of those who select the contractors and developers for NASA projects, or is it an intentional ruse to generate more money in the pockets of business as recipients of those funds?

www.foxnews.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

NASA has been a mess. The Mars fiascoes demonstrate that. But if the screwups have any effect on NASA's budget it would be to reduce rather than increase it.

The contractors working for NASA are just that, contractors. They have a contract to provide a specified product or service at a specified price, within a specified time. If they fail to produce they won't be paid (and possibly be sued). If there are cost overruns on the contractor's part they don't get paid more, they eat the overrun. Project failures do not get more money for the contractors, they cost money. The longer the project goes on the less profit for the contractor. If the project takes too long there is also the possibility of liquidated damages being assessed, a monetary penalty for being late.

Considering that this is older technology they're dealing with (or just plain simple technology) you'd think a bunch of high ranking engineers and scientists could get something like that to work right. Sky divers, military, and drag racers usually have all their parachutes work it's pretty wierd that NASA can't. Maybe it's too simple for them...

you can just picture it now as the guys push it out of the back of the plane you hear ...."oops is that supposed to be connected to something"

i think the majority of this is down to the fact that NASA funding has been in decline for a lot longer than we all think

Also connected to the fact that soon as they stopped sending people to the moon and beyond the magic left the space programme for alot of people including some that are still there

i realy hope they can pull this off and get a team back to the moon and to mars moving forward but with failures like that there i no wonder why applications for the space programme are dropping

[edit on 23-8-2008 by Amitsumikaboshi]

I flagged this thread because this kind of news is important.

Anything watching closely and reporting of the human attempts for space exploration is important.
Space is our escape from a myriad of modern problems and dead ends imposed by our own shortsightedness. Also any serious attempts for venturing in to space demand long term planning and long term commitment, something that our modern society is currently lacking. We can understand that by the way we treat our natural environment.

Establishing a successful, viable and permanent presence in to space can prove that our society can strive for difficult goals and succeed.

Having said all that my mind goes to analyze the current state of affairs between US and Russia, the two prominent space powers: These two powers DO NOT cooperate in the conquest of space. There are some instances they have been working together like the maintenance of the ISS space station, but even this project is doomed by many mistakes, wrong strategy and limited mutual focus on the long term goals of the future of this project.

What is the status between the two space powers currently, either individually and either in cooperation:

A) US is making repetitive failed attempts to re establish their 50 year old status since their successful attempts to land on the moon.

B) Russia although developing a decades older strategy than the US, they remained true and reliable sticking to their original designs about their main launch vehicles capabilities. They have been proven right because they achieved reliability. But there is a lack of resources for more demanding projects and if this was not enough they are being forced probably to spend more in weapons research instead of space exploration, with the current situations that seem to heat up a former Cold War status between the two prominent countries.

There is no closer examination and interest from the US side for a mutual technological cooperation, even while any modern US philosophies have been proven unreliable, expensive and have a limited capability or a high degree of failure if their operational limits are extended. This can show us that the Russian side understood better the value of long term planing than their US counterparts.

A) One side has repeating failures.
B) The other side has limited funding and now it will probably restricted even more.

Where ALL THIS leave us? (every people on earth)

More delays in a permanent space presence. More delays in resolution of old problems through space conquest.

We are making steps back instead of making steps forward.

HOW can we solve this?

[edit on 23-8-2008 by spacebot]

Originally posted by Amitsumikaboshi

i realy hope they can pull this off and get a team back to the moon and to mars

Me also. I watched the moon landings and even skipped school so I could watch every minute. I would love to see them make it to Mars in my lifetime. My Father, having spent his childhood on horseback herding cattle, got to see the Moon landing. It was the only time I ever saw him watch more than the evening news. In fact he would not let me go to school while it was on. The whole world was glued to their televisions.

Its testing, of course there will be failures. Thats why they do tests. I personally dont think its a conspiracy to get more money. You see these engineers on tv and when something goes wrong they are almost in tears. You spend every waking moment working on these projects under intense pressure and Im sure they do everything they can to make them work.

Enough failures and im sure they would lose thier jobs anyway.