SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
from the cost-plus-contracting-the-spice-must-flow dept.
Rich Smith at The Motley Fool opines that NASA's SLS Rocket Just Got $3.2 Billion More Expensive:
How much is too much to pay for an SLS rocket? And how much is so much that it gets SLS canceled?
At an estimated $1.55 billion in cost per launch, and $209 billion total over its 30-year history, the U.S. Space Shuttle program was easily NASA's most expensive project since the Apollo Moon Program -- but NASA's next project is going to make it look like a bargain. Two years ago, an investigation by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) estimated that each time NASA launches its new Space Launch System (SLS), taxpayers will ante up "over $2 billion."
As it turns out, OMB was being optimistic.
[...] Last week, NASA awarded one of its main subcontractors on the SLS project, Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC), a $3.2 billion contract to build booster rockets for five SLS rockets that will participate in the Project Artemis moon program.
[...] These boosters are essential to the Artemis program, providing "more than 75% of the thrust for each SLS launch," as NASA explains, but they do come at a cost. Specifically, each rocket booster will cost taxpayers -- and benefit Northrop Grumman -- more than $290 million.
[...] For the cost of just one Northrop Grumman booster rocket (which will be discarded after launch), NASA could buy two entire SpaceX rocketships. For what Northrop is charging to help launch one single SLS, NASA could launch four Falcon Heavy missions.
Your tax dollars at work. Also: Re-usable shuttle engines on an expendable launcher.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 21 2021, @11:39PM (8 children)
$3.2 billion? How much is that in F-35s?
(Score: 5, Touché) by EJ on Tuesday December 21 2021, @11:48PM (4 children)
Fully-functional?
(Score: 4, Touché) by Pslytely Psycho on Tuesday December 21 2021, @11:52PM (1 child)
Is there such a thing?
Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Freeman on Wednesday December 22 2021, @04:08PM
-- Armageddon (1998)
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 22 2021, @12:54AM
Static Display
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday December 22 2021, @03:30PM
Yes.
Commander Data was quite clear to Tasha Yar that he was Fully Functional. She did some quality assurance tests to verify this and pass the acceptance qualification tests.
If you think a fertilized egg is a child but an immigrant child is not, please don't pretend your concerns are religious
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Wednesday December 22 2021, @12:00AM (1 child)
Um... 3.2?
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by Some call me Tim on Wednesday December 22 2021, @03:27AM
Well if you multiply Pi are round by cornbread are square you get the rounded rectangle of cobbler which totally invalidates any patents on the rounded rectangle. Sorry Apple, you lose.
Questioning science is how you do science!
(Score: 2) by Mojibake Tengu on Wednesday December 22 2021, @01:43AM
Depends on version.
https://medium.com/war-is-boring/how-much-does-an-f-35-actually-cost-21f95d239398 [medium.com]
The edge of 太玄 cannot be defined, for it is beyond every aspect of design