Re: The crash of NASA's culture

[Damian Georgeff <damian@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Greetings Adriano

Thanks for replying, the list seems a little quiet of late.

I had a quick look at the url you recommended.  The paper by Dale M GrayI found
thought provoking and informative.

I don't see NASA as having put sufficient thought into how the Shuttle will be
replaced.  Sure upgrades and improvements are made to most equipment over time,
however the law of Dimishing Returns always applies.  You have to learn when its
time to retire the equipment you have and build something new combining all the
knowledge you've acquired from the existing equipment.

Yes, the failure of 2 out of 5 shuttles is abysmal and shows that the platform has
problems (which may be due to age as well) and should be decommissioned
permanently.

For the short term NASA should continue working with the Russian Soyuz program,
this will keep the American astronauts up to speed and their skills fresh.  Whilst
this is in progress.  NASA should look at re-instating the X-33 program, as most
of the major development work is done.  For the sections that aren't done, NASA
should throw the section(s) open for public submissions.  I have no doubt that
there is someone in the world who has an answer(s) for NASA, or can point them in
the right direction.

As payment for this, the person or persons who assist NASA can be offered a trip
into space on the new vehicle.

Be Well
Damian

Adriano Autino wrote:

> Hi Damian, thanks for answering to my message.
>
> What I (and other friends) think about shuttles was expressed in a service
> titled "Shuttles forever?" published on TdF in 2001
> http://www.tdf.it/numero2/dove/dove_eng.htm.
>
> In brief: the Shuttle fleet is the result of a bad strategy, that threw away
> all the experience made with X15 (200 flights up to 100 kms) during the
> '60s, in order not to disturb the market of the expendable rockets industry.
> They only built 5 unic pieces, and they never run an industrial line, which
> had assured the needed technological evolution, and lowering of costs as
> well.
>
> I think it's a miracle that 3 on 5 of those machines are still in conditions
> to fly (do they?).
>
> The hard truth is that, if it were not for the Russian Soyuz, we had lost
> the ISS, or we had been constrained to fly the shuttles anyway, 6 mounths or
> so after the Columbia disaster.
>
> Now the question is: is the Soyuz safe and reliable enough for other 5
> years?
>
> If yes, I'd vote for:
> - accelerate the production of the new fully reusable machines (a passengers
> 'car' and an heavy cargo, at least)
> - collaborate with the Russian agency, in order to assure the due
> maintenance to Soyuz
> - retire what it remains of the shuttles fleet now, because 2 total failures
> on 5 machines is an intolerably high failure rate
>
> If not:
> - make the revamping of the shuttles (that anyway is going on since two
> years) safe enough to allow flying them until the new machines will be ready
> - accelerate the production of the new fully reusable machines anyway
>
> All the best
> Adriano
>
> _____________________________________________________________________
> ANDROMEDA s.r.l. - High Leverage Real-Time Systems, Technologies,
> Methodologies for Astronautics and Infrastructures
> web:  www.andromeda-srl.com - e-mail: adriano.autino@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> _____________________________________________________________________
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