SpaceX granted injunction in rocket launch suit against Lockheed-Boeing

Post by SnakeDoc » Thu, May 01, 2014, 2:52 PM UTC

eps wrote: post #2

> In reaction to the sanctions, Rogozin tweeted: “After analyzing the sanctions against our space industry, I suggest the U.S. delivers its astronauts to the ISS with a trampoline.” In Russian there's an expression - to scare a hedgehog with a naked ass - which is exactly the case here, except it's really a shame that it's the space exploration that ends up suffering because of some bullshit political games.

Post by rst » Thu, May 01, 2014, 3:01 PM UTC

JackFr wrote: post #20

eps wrote: post #2

> In reaction to the sanctions, Rogozin tweeted: “After analyzing the sanctions against our space industry, I suggest the U.S. delivers its astronauts to the ISS with a trampoline.” In Russian there's an expression - to scare a hedgehog with a naked ass - which is exactly the case here, except it's really a shame that it's the space exploration that ends up suffering because of some bullshit political games.

This is not space exploration, its a jobs program for missile scientists -- you know keep them off the streets, keep them from joining gangs, kind of like Boys Clubs or something. http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2013/09/14/the-ski... "The collapse of the Soviet Union created the final incentive to go forward. U.S. officials worried that Russian rocket scientists would go to work for rogue nations, spreading…

Post by rst » Thu, May 01, 2014, 3:08 PM UTC

nraynaud wrote: post #12

noisy_boy wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Space exploration always had political motivation driving it or inhibiting it. The great progress done during last 40-50 years wouldn't have as much without cold war and its associated factors. In this case, even if you exclude the Russian factor, the point that ULA was awarded such a huge contract without any competition, most probably didn't happen without political (and/or financial) influence.

The history behind the engines we are talking about is just crazy. Basically they were incredibly superior to the american ones but politicians lost interest in them (because the race to the moon was lost), and they scrapped the program and asked the engines to be destroyed. They were hidden in the middle of nowhere in Siberia. After the cold war, some Russians in the know wanted to sell them to US companies, the spe…

Post by josefresco » Thu, May 01, 2014, 3:12 PM UTC

thasmin wrote: post #46

dfc wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do two people, neither of which is a senator on the relevant committee, go head-to-head in a Senate hearing?

Senators are not experts on every topic that they govern over, so they solicit advice from experts.

Post by nraynaud » Thu, May 01, 2014, 3:17 PM UTC

rst wrote: post #45

nraynaud wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The history behind the engines we are talking about is just crazy. Basically they were incredibly superior to the american ones but politicians lost interest in them (because the race to the moon was lost), and they scrapped the program and asked the engines to be destroyed. They were hidden in the middle of nowhere in Siberia. After the cold war, some Russians in the know wanted to sell them to US companies, the spe…

Different Russian engines. The engines that ULA is banned from buying are RD-180s; they are being newly built to, effectively, American specifications, though most components are derived from the RD-170 which was originally built for Energiya. You're describing this history of the NK-33 engines, which were originally built for the Soviet lunar program, and then (as you say) hidden in a warehouse after that program wa…