NASA wants a cheaper Mars Sample Return—Boeing proposes most expensive rocket

submitted by jeffw

arstechnica.com/space/2024/05/nasa-wants-a-chea…

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11 Comments

Kernal64

If NASA goes with Boeing for the rocket, they can expect the rocket to disassemble itself halfway into the atmosphere.

halcyoncmdr

You assume it gets off the ground. Starliner is 4 years behind, hasn't had a flawless automated launch yet, and still hasn't launched a manned crew, while the SpaceX Dragon 2 has made 30+ trips to the ISS on a fraction of the development budget.

AdamEatsAss

Also assuming the FAA doesn't ban Boeing from air/spacecraft production. But then again space-X has done unsanctioned launches so maybe the laws don't matter if you're making rockets.

Tinidril

Deleted by author

halcyoncmdr

SpaceX doesn't have Elon to deal with.

What are you talking about? Elon is all over SpaceX constantly. It's easily one of the biggest critic complaints, just like every other Elon company.

The difference however, is that SpaceX has Gwynne Shotwell, and she is able to keep things on track, even with Elon. That is something none of Elon's other companies have an equivalent.

Tinidril

Brain fart. My bad.

halcyoncmdr

No worries. SpaceX IMO is basically proof that Elon being involved is fine as long as he's not actually the one in charge on a daily basis.

There needs to be a Gwynne at every Elon company. But it seems that none of the other company Boards realize that.

ShittyBeatlesFCPres

I’m pretty sure it’s an open secret that Elon isn’t really involved in SpaceX’s operations (except raising money and doing publicity) because of his drug use. Like, the military was very upset when he smoked weed with Joe Rogan and did a review and found he wasn’t as involved as he pretends.

WalnutLum

Starship was still Elon's brainchild and it is years behind, and threatens the viability of the entire Artemis program. Their finances are also terribly linked to the success of Starlink, which is also shaky at best.

I would not say SpaceX is "on track."

CaptainSpaceman

How many whistleblowers?

Hupf

It's project Orion all over again. The rocket will dump whistleblowers out back and nuke them as a means of propulsion.

solrize

In space no one can hear whistles blowing.

AutoTL;DR

This is the best summary I could come up with:


NASA is looking for ways to get rock samples back from Mars for less than the $11 billion the agency would need under its own plan, so last month, officials put out a call to industry to propose ideas.

Its study involves a single flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the super heavy-lift launcher designed to send astronauts to the Moon on NASA's Artemis missions.

Jim Green, NASA's former chief scientist and longtime head of the agency's planetary science division, presented Boeing's concept Wednesday at the Humans to Mars summit, an annual event sponsored primarily by traditional space companies.

The inspector general recommended NASA consider buying commercial rockets as an alternative to SLS for future Artemis missions.

NASA's Perseverance rover, operating on Mars since February 2021, is collecting soil and rock core samples and sealing them in 43 cigar-size titanium tubes.

The MAV would have the oomph needed to boost the samples off the surface of Mars and into orbit, then fire engines to target a course back to Earth.


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