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

floridatoday.com

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

#51

Post by ryanmarsh »

toomanybeersies wrote: post #37
jtokoph wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's more of a shutdown on non critical departments, and lots of times there are still skeleton crews for some of them. For example, the postal service is still running. Here is a decent article explaining what is still up and running: https://www.npr.org/2018/01/19/578985305/open-or-closed-here...

The USPS isn't a government department though, it's an independent agency, that generates its own funds separate from the federal budget.

I had no idea the USPS was a GSE (Government Sponsored Entity) like Fannie Mae (which many believe is a government agency)

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

#52

Post by dayaz36 »

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…

Seriously...the entire article had as much substance as the title. Didn't even mention when the launch was supposed to be.

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

#53

Post by robryan »

Animats wrote: post #38

Space-X was supposed to be building their own launch facility in Brownsville, TX, and it was supposed to be open now, but it's still just a vacant lot. They brought in some tracking antennas and some dirt fill; that's it.[1] [1] http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/local/spacex-progress-...

At their current rate of launches it probably just doesn't make any sense to put a lot of resources into it.

There has been upgrades in automation for the ranges last year which allow a higher frequency of launches. Plus they started launching again from their second Cape Canaveral pad.

I read that even with their own facility they would still be affected by a shutdown.

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

#54

Post by jmadsen »

lambda wrote: post #41
bambax wrote: post #28

As a foreigner the whole government shutdown is a thing of wonder: how does it work exactly? For instance, is there no police anymore? How does Congress stay in session during a shutdown? Where does electricity in federal buildings come from if the Federal govt can't pay for it?

One thing to understand about the US is that it is actually a federation of states. Much of the day-to-day work happens at the state or local level, not at the federal level. Police, fire departments, emergency first responders mostly employed at that level, and when the federal government is involved, a lot of it is in doing some coordination between states, setting standards, funding for various programs, and so on…

"Of course, this inefficiency plays well into the politics of one of the parties, who hold a religious belief that private enterprise is always more efficient than government"

Which is beyond ironic to anyone who's worked in the corporate world, but I guess that's for another thread.

This idea they have that private enterprise naturally evolves toward the most efficient system is laughable.

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

#55

Post by Robin_Message »

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.

> Government is normally getting in the way or at least slowing down the process of innovation.

Citation needed, especially as I'll just note we're using a website, many innovative technical elements of which were government funded.

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

#56

Post by icelancer »

jmadsen wrote: post #54
lambda wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One thing to understand about the US is that it is actually a federation of states. Much of the day-to-day work happens at the state or local level, not at the federal level. Police, fire departments, emergency first responders mostly employed at that level, and when the federal government is involved, a lot of it is in doing some coordination between states, setting standards, funding for various programs, and so on…

"Of course, this inefficiency plays well into the politics of one of the parties, who hold a religious belief that private enterprise is always more efficient than government" Which is beyond ironic to anyone who's worked in the corporate world, but I guess that's for another thread. This idea they have that private enterprise naturally evolves toward the most efficient system is laughable.

>>Which is beyond ironic to anyone who's worked in the corporate world, but I guess that's for another thread.

>>This idea they have that private enterprise naturally evolves toward the most efficient system is laughable.

Work in private industry AND government and you might find the comparison a bit more apt, not that I'm a Republican.

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

#57

Post by bsimpson »

lambda wrote: post #41
bambax wrote: post #28

As a foreigner the whole government shutdown is a thing of wonder: how does it work exactly? For instance, is there no police anymore? How does Congress stay in session during a shutdown? Where does electricity in federal buildings come from if the Federal govt can't pay for it?

One thing to understand about the US is that it is actually a federation of states. Much of the day-to-day work happens at the state or local level, not at the federal level. Police, fire departments, emergency first responders mostly employed at that level, and when the federal government is involved, a lot of it is in doing some coordination between states, setting standards, funding for various programs, and so on…

As I recall from the last shutdown, Congress usually passes an apology bill to pay back-wages for the furloughed workers. In theory, it's unpaid time off, but in practice, they get made whole and it becomes a free (but potentially angsty) vacation.

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

#58

Post by icelancer »

lambda wrote: post #41
bambax wrote: post #28

As a foreigner the whole government shutdown is a thing of wonder: how does it work exactly? For instance, is there no police anymore? How does Congress stay in session during a shutdown? Where does electricity in federal buildings come from if the Federal govt can't pay for it?

One thing to understand about the US is that it is actually a federation of states. Much of the day-to-day work happens at the state or local level, not at the federal level. Police, fire departments, emergency first responders mostly employed at that level, and when the federal government is involved, a lot of it is in doing some coordination between states, setting standards, funding for various programs, and so on…

>>Of course, this inefficiency plays well into the politics of one of the parties, who hold a religious belief that private enterprise is always more efficient than government, and so playing games like this that increase its inefficiency help to sell their case and get government functions sold off to private enterprise, who just so happen, in so many cases, to be some of the largest donors to campaigns of this particular party.

One party believes 92% of this and the other party believes 83% of this statement, for any non-American reading this.

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

#59

Post by Rebelgecko »

mikejb wrote: post #50

This is easily blamed on the shutdown, but it isn't that simple: Falcon Heavy static fire has been postponed numerous times. On Tuesday (Jan 16th), it was cancelled once again, but with no new target test date. That indicates that SpaceX is still working on the rocket/pad. I didn't find information on when they'd be ready again, but blaming a delay on Falcon Heavy's static fire test on the Government Shutdown is only…

They can blame the shutdown for cancelling this particular attempt, just not the last half a dozen tries

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

#60

Post by bsimpson »

bambax wrote: post #28

As a foreigner the whole government shutdown is a thing of wonder: how does it work exactly? For instance, is there no police anymore? How does Congress stay in session during a shutdown? Where does electricity in federal buildings come from if the Federal govt can't pay for it?

This is the thing that blew my mind last time:

The shoreline of San Francisco is a national park (donated when the military base here closed). There's a restaurant on the shore called Cliff House, whose landlord is the US government.

During the shutdown, the government forced the restaurant, a private establishment, to close. The owners and the kitchen staff were not allowed to make a living. And because they aren't government employees, they don't get any restitution when the government is funded again.

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