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Trump on Falcon Heavy: "I'm so used to hearing different numbers with NASA"
During a cabinet meeting on Thursday inside the White House, President Donald Trump called attention to several model rockets on the table before him. They included an Atlas V, a Falcon 9, a Space Launch System, and more. The president seemed enthused to see the launch vehicles. "Before me are some rocket ships," the president said. "You haven't seen that for this country in a long time."
Then, in remarks probably best characterized as spur of the moment, the president proceeded to absolutely demolish the government's own effort to build rockets by noting the recent launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket. He cited the cost as $80 million. (The list price on SpaceX's website is $90 million.)
"I noticed the prices of the last one they say cost $80 million," Trump said. "If the government did it, the same thing would have cost probably 40 or 50 times that amount of money. I mean literally. When I heard $80 million, I'm so used to hearing different numbers with NASA.''
NASA has not, in fact, set a price for flying the SLS rocket. But Ars has previously estimated that, including the billions of dollars in development cost, the per-flight fees for the SLS rocket will probably be close to $3 billion. Indeed, the development costs of SLS and its ground systems between now and its first flight could purchase 86 launches of the privately developed Falcon Heavy rocket. So President Trump's estimate of NASA's costs compared to private industry does not appear to be wildly off the mark.
[*] SLS: Space Launch System
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(Score: 3, Insightful) by DannyB on Friday March 09 2018, @06:35PM (4 children)
How to do Haiku
I'm trying to remember
I came up with these
The sad orange clown
Its vomit stream on Twitter
Can not tell the truth
Little idle hands
The Devil's Twitter play thing
Tiny little hands
Press Secretary
Evade Lie Stall and Distract
Must not tell the truth
Dotard Trump the clown
An executive order
Feeble minded one
I swear I will tell
Lies, made up lies, only lies
Fact checked by Fox News
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday March 09 2018, @10:25PM (3 children)
Like galactic victory
Trump! Trump! Trump! Trump! Trump!
(Score: 3, Insightful) by aristarchus on Saturday March 10 2018, @08:53AM (1 child)
If you are going to do Haiku, you go to the master, Matsuo Bashô (松尾芭蕉) [carlsensei.com]
SoylentNews version:
An ancient pond,
khallow jumps in.
The sound of water.
*the sound of water here can be construed as the basis for climate change denial, but then we are still faced with the fact that khallow is a frog in this haiku, which means, according to Kermit, that "Time's fun when you're having flies."
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday March 10 2018, @09:00AM
(Score: 3, Funny) by DannyB on Saturday March 10 2018, @05:47PM
Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump
Guns Guns Guns Guns Guns Guns Guns
Grab 'em by the part
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.