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SpaceX can't test fire its Falcon Heavy rocket due to the government shutdown

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Re: SpaceX can't test fire its Falcon Heavy rocket due to the government shutdown

#121

Post by kasey_junk »

pjc50 wrote: post #109
alkonaut wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What I don't understand is this: why not just change the process so that unless there is any change in funding decided politically, funding always continues as-is?

The whole setup is stupid, due to a chain of constitutional oddities. There's no distinction between budget votes and other kinds of votes. Most other systems, Westminster-style or otherwise, have a process which results in either a budget being passed or a fresh election being held which should result in a majority capable of passing one. The US system has elevated a denial of service attack (filibuster) to the stat…

To be fair, the US system does have a special class of vote for budgetary issues that defangs the filibuster:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconciliation_(United_State...

Re: SpaceX can't test fire its Falcon Heavy rocket due to the government shutdown

#122

Post by giarc »

nomercy400 wrote: post #104

So, is SpaceX now eligible for contract-breach money from the government for this delay? I assume SpaceX 'rents' the facility at KSP from the government. If that facility shuts down, then the government isn't upholding their part of the deal with SpaceX. Say, as a company I had a deal where I rent an office, and the owner of the office decides for 2+ days I have no access to my office, because one-sided reasons, I ca…

Maybe, but do you want to piss off the owners of a limited piece of equipment that is vital to your business?

Re: SpaceX can't test fire its Falcon Heavy rocket due to the government shutdown

#123

Post by SiempreViernes »

freeflight wrote: post #120
dx034 wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But that was because few people work on the weekend anyway. Anyone affected working on the weekend knew that they wouldn't get paid.

> Anyone affected working on the weekend knew that they wouldn't get paid. They knew that, for certain, only after Friday midnight. It's not that far-fetched to assume that most people working that Saturday would already be asleep during that time and just showed up at their work on Saturday like it's business as usual.

Gotta be a weird person not to check the outcome on the news before going to work since they've been plenty forewarned.

I guess someone living close by, that woke up late and doesn't have radio, tv, or internet available for a quick check could plausibly skip over calling someone to find out before jogging over.

Re: SpaceX can't test fire its Falcon Heavy rocket due to the government shutdown

#124

Post by Consultant32452 »

nomercy400 wrote: post #104

So, is SpaceX now eligible for contract-breach money from the government for this delay? I assume SpaceX 'rents' the facility at KSP from the government. If that facility shuts down, then the government isn't upholding their part of the deal with SpaceX. Say, as a company I had a deal where I rent an office, and the owner of the office decides for 2+ days I have no access to my office, because one-sided reasons, I ca…

These types of things are almost certainly written into the contracts. A government shutdown is not the only reason that SpaceX might temporarily not be able to use the facilities the way it wants.

Re: SpaceX can't test fire its Falcon Heavy rocket due to the government shutdown

#125

Post by ceejayoz »

giarc wrote: post #122
nomercy400 wrote: post #104

So, is SpaceX now eligible for contract-breach money from the government for this delay? I assume SpaceX 'rents' the facility at KSP from the government. If that facility shuts down, then the government isn't upholding their part of the deal with SpaceX. Say, as a company I had a deal where I rent an office, and the owner of the office decides for 2+ days I have no access to my office, because one-sided reasons, I ca…

Maybe, but do you want to piss off the owners of a limited piece of equipment that is vital to your business?

Not to mention your biggest client.

Re: SpaceX can't test fire its Falcon Heavy rocket due to the government shutdown

#126

Post by jadell »

dEnigma wrote: post #108
nomercy400 wrote: post #104

So, is SpaceX now eligible for contract-breach money from the government for this delay? I assume SpaceX 'rents' the facility at KSP from the government. If that facility shuts down, then the government isn't upholding their part of the deal with SpaceX. Say, as a company I had a deal where I rent an office, and the owner of the office decides for 2+ days I have no access to my office, because one-sided reasons, I ca…

From the context it is clear that you meant "KSC" instead of "KSP", but I think the typo is quite interesting. For those unaware: KSP = Kerbal Space Program, a video game about space exploration

Additionally, "KSC" is the abbreviation of the space center in the game video KSP.

Re: SpaceX can't test fire its Falcon Heavy rocket due to the government shutdown

#127

Post by gnode »

walshemj wrote: post #116
TheAceOfHearts wrote: post #32

I find this article very frustrating. What do they even mean by "key members of the civilian workforce"? I wish they'd include examples of what kind of people aren't working. Since I have absolutely no connection to this industry, I have no way of understanding the impact of a government shutdown on the space industry. Why is it considered reasonable or unreasonable that they halt certain space-related activities due…

I would imagine the launch requires the participation of civil servants from NASA who I assume all the range safety people work for and I assume they use the coast guard to keep boats away from the danger zone two.

The static fire would have to go very wrong to encounter boats.

Re: SpaceX can't test fire its Falcon Heavy rocket due to the government shutdown

#128

Post by Symmetry »

rsbartram wrote: post #13

Is SpaceX using recycled rockets? They have in the past. https://latechnews.org/spacex-launches-bulgariasat-1-recycle... Government is normally getting in the way or at least slowing down the process of innovation. Hopefully that doesn't happen here at to much a cost to SpaceX and the U.S. tax payers.

The government built and runs the range on which they're testing. SpaceX is free to finish building their launch site in Texas and launch from there in the future. Sometimes government slows down innovation but in terms of both public and commercial space NASA has mostly been a force for speeding up and enabling innovation.

Re: SpaceX can't test fire its Falcon Heavy rocket due to the government shutdown

#129

Post by freeflight »

SiempreViernes wrote: post #123
freeflight wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Anyone affected working on the weekend knew that they wouldn't get paid. They knew that, for certain, only after Friday midnight. It's not that far-fetched to assume that most people working that Saturday would already be asleep during that time and just showed up at their work on Saturday like it's business as usual.

Gotta be a weird person not to check the outcome on the news before going to work since they've been plenty forewarned. I guess someone living close by, that woke up late and doesn't have radio, tv, or internet available for a quick check could plausibly skip over calling someone to find out before jogging over.

Weird persons exist, just like persons who don't include checking news during their breakfast routine, then there's also a subset of weird people who might just like doing their job and don't mind working that one Saturday without pay.

Re: SpaceX can't test fire its Falcon Heavy rocket due to the government shutdown

#130

Post by mikeash »

freeflight wrote: post #110
moonka wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Shutdown started at Midnight Friday though didn't it?

Officially yes, but I can imagine there being some bureaucratic delay until it's in full effect/everybody got the news. Not a lot of time between midnight Friday and Saturday. In German radio news, the US correspondent explained that the weekend should still be fine, with full effects of the shutdown beginning around Monday with the new week.

That’s oversimplified. Some agencies continue to operate for a bit because they have enough money stashed to do so. For example, the Smithsonian stayed open over the weekend and is apparently open today as well. The EPA will stay open for another week because they apparently have a nice chunk of cash somewhere. The postal service will operate indefinitely because they earn their own money.

For everybody else, a shutdown means you stop working right away. For most people that means the first day they’re affected is Monday because most of them have the weekend off, but people who would work on the weekend have already been affected. There’s no room for a bureaucratic delay or people failing to get the news. I’m pretty sure it’s illegal for non-essential people to work during the shutdown unless their job is somehow still funded. Anyone who went to bed early on Friday and went to work on Saturday without checking the news would be told to go home.

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