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liberal N proud

(60,334 posts) Mon Jun 29, 2015, 06:41 AM Jun 2015

Is this what outsourcing our space program means - Rockets that blow up? [View all]

SpaceX Rocket Supplying Space Station Explodes After Florida Launch

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - An unmanned SpaceX rocket exploded about two minutes after liftoff from Florida on Sunday, destroying a cargo ship bound for the International Space Station in the latest in a string of mishaps in supplying the orbiting outpost.

The 208-foot-tall (63-meter) Falcon 9 rocket had flown 18 times previously since its 2010 debut, all successfully. Those missions included six station cargo runs for NASA under a 15-flight contract worth more than $2 billion.

However SpaceX, a company founded and owned by technology entrepreneur Elon Musk, has twice previously tried and failed in an experiment to land the rocket on a platform in the ocean.

Sunday's accident soon after liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station was the second successive botched mission to resupply the space station. A Russian Progress cargo ship failed to reach the outpost in April following a problem with its Soyuz launcher.

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015/06/28/us/28reuters-space-spacex-launch.html?emc=edit_th_20150629&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=45299538&_r=0

And they want to put humans on these things in another year?

92 replies

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Is this what outsourcing our space program means - Rockets that blow up? [View all] liberal N proud Jun 2015 OP

Yes. mmonk Jun 2015 #1

Rockets are a ridiculously finicky technology, a barely controlled bomb Fumesucker Jun 2015 #2

Not to mention Apollo I (nt) Recursion Jun 2015 #5

no Duckhunter935 Jun 2015 #3

NASA has had 21 fatalities and dozens of explosions (nt) Recursion Jun 2015 #4

It boggles the mind, too, kentauros Jun 2015 #6

Yes it does Duckhunter935 Jun 2015 #7

The Lunar Lander was NOT built by NASA A HERETIC I AM Jun 2015 #44

I know Duckhunter935 Jun 2015 #83

You need to re-watch episode 5 of that series MohRokTah Jun 2015 #49

I know Duckhunter935 Jun 2015 #84

How brave were the astronauts? hifiguy Jun 2015 #88

Too bad Space-X can't seem to learn from 60 years of data. Orrex Jun 2015 #35

How much was that 6+ decades of data was available? tammywammy Jun 2015 #40

NASA has also been known to throw out blueprints, files, and other data records kentauros Jun 2015 #42

A fair question Orrex Jun 2015 #43

Alot of knowledge is only stored in Gray Matter One_Life_To_Give Jun 2015 #48

Well, everyone else has already said it. Erich Bloodaxe BSN Jun 2015 #8

I would challenge anyone to point out one service privatization of govermental..... marble falls Jun 2015 #9

The Space program would not exist without privatization. eom MohRokTah Jun 2015 #12

Only because NASA was being defunded. Not because NASA wasn't keeping its.... marble falls Jun 2015 #17

NASA has outsourced the manufacture of rockets since the beginning MohRokTah Jun 2015 #20

see post #6 Amishman Jun 2015 #23

NASA isn't a manufacturer tammywammy Jun 2015 #27

Good way.... daleanime Jun 2015 #77

I answered the challenge. MohRokTah Jun 2015 #78

And the privatizated portions.... daleanime Jun 2015 #80

Yes MohRokTah Jun 2015 #82

+1000 kairos12 Jun 2015 #16

Pssssst.... MohRokTah Jun 2015 #10

Can't argue with people that think its only a US government funded program... Historic NY Jun 2015 #22

I'm saving that graphic :) kentauros Jun 2015 #24

Outsourced manufacturing is one thing-- private industry running the launches is another. Marr Jun 2015 #28

There is no fricking difference whatsoeer. MohRokTah Jun 2015 #31

That's what I just said. The difference is who is in charge of the launch. Marr Jun 2015 #33

The private group is driven to have a successful launch every bit as much as the government group. MohRokTah Jun 2015 #46

That's the argument for privatizing government functions, alright. Marr Jun 2015 #50

Privatizing of the launching of rockets makes perfect sense. MohRokTah Jun 2015 #53

Do you feel the same way about the Post Office vs. FedEx? /nt Marr Jun 2015 #60

No. MohRokTah Jun 2015 #61

The post office it not mandated by the constitution. Angleae Jun 2015 #92

Challenger was largely Morton Thiokol's fault, no? MannyGoldstein Jun 2015 #81

ROFLMAO snooper2 Jun 2015 #51

Elon Musk loses about 10 million a year on SpaceX Recursion Jun 2015 #87

You think contractors always worked for free? RandySF Jun 2015 #57

NASA didn't cancel the Challenger Launch hardluck Jun 2015 #79

The Challenger Disaster is groupthink 101 tammywammy Jun 2015 #86

Groupthink is exactly right hardluck Jun 2015 #89

As can be seen from your diagram, MannyGoldstein Jun 2015 #37

Yes JackInGreen Jun 2015 #11

Has anything you know of gotten better and less expensive when it was contracted out? notadmblnd Jun 2015 #13

Rockets (nt) Recursion Jun 2015 #26

+ 1,000,000,000,000 eom MohRokTah Jun 2015 #30

Aircraft. kentauros Jun 2015 #34

The Internet? MindPilot Jun 2015 #54

less expensive? I think not notadmblnd Jun 2015 #67

NASA never had a rocket blow up? City Lights Jun 2015 #14

As if Android3.14 Jun 2015 #15

Good point. And there have been no technological advances in 48 years. Orrex Jun 2015 #36

It's called "Rocket Science" for a reason n2doc Jun 2015 #18

In the milliseconds before the blast, SCVDem Jun 2015 #19

Nah, Defense and NASA were blowing up scores of rockets for many years - Germany, too hatrack Jun 2015 #21

The inverse of obtuse conservative Android3.14 Jun 2015 #25

Three failures in last 8 months... peacebird Jun 2015 #29

Three failures from three different sources tammywammy Jun 2015 #41

Not really true. jeff47 Jun 2015 #45

Anyone know what direction the wind was blowing? Baitball Blogger Jun 2015 #32

What's the NASA versus SpaceX body count? (nt) Nye Bevan Jun 2015 #38

Just so you know.... we've been "outsourcing" rockets for a very long time. Adrahil Jun 2015 #39

Quite right - Rocketdyne developed the Saturn V's F-1 rocket engines starting back in the 1950's Baclava Jun 2015 #59

This is not the same country that went to the moon. I doubt we could do it, today. nt Romulox Jun 2015 #47

White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) 1939 Jun 2015 #58

So far get the red out Jun 2015 #52

Actually, a better record than NASA. eom MohRokTah Jun 2015 #56

By what measure? Act_of_Reparation Jun 2015 #62

Successful launches of a new system. MohRokTah Jun 2015 #63

NASA has been launching shit into space for over 50 years. Act_of_Reparation Jun 2015 #64

So far the Falcon series has about an 89% success rate... Humanist_Activist Jun 2015 #70

Awesome. Great find! Act_of_Reparation Jun 2015 #71

The thing is, SpaceX will succeed or fail based on something as basic as rocket launches.... Humanist_Activist Jun 2015 #72

Right. And that's what gets me about this private/public debate Act_of_Reparation Jun 2015 #73

Yes, and right now they are government contractors, in the future they may go independent on... Humanist_Activist Jun 2015 #74

Totally agree. Act_of_Reparation Jun 2015 #75

Yes, because NASA never botched anything before. RandySF Jun 2015 #55

The world's first air force: OilemFirchen Jun 2015 #65

Conservative ideology destroyed Yankee ingenuity. Democrats_win Jun 2015 #66

There has *always* been a reliablity problem with single rockets friendly_iconoclast Jun 2015 #68

The Space Shuttle was a disaster waiting to happen, and 14 people had to die to prove it... Humanist_Activist Jun 2015 #69

there have been cases of astronauts having to train their replacement astornauts HFRN Jun 2015 #76

You must have forgotten how many failures NASA had before they begin ladjf Jun 2015 #85

My only beef with this whole thing is they should have started the process much earlier davidpdx Jun 2015 #90

The question isn't private or NASA, it's private or Russia. LeftyMom Jun 2015 #91