Can't all space nerds get along?

> From: Xenophile
> Or have NASA offer $5 billion dollars to whichever private company can
> do it best in, say, the next five years.

This is the way it should be done. Though I would add 'and the major
aerospace companies are not allowed to play' just to discourage backroom
deals.

The problem is defining 'success'. If some backstabbing crony at nasa
wispers into the wrong ears 'No design with criteria X will be seriously
considdered' all those involved will take it to heart, and no one will put
any serious investigation into whatever benifits that criteria X offers.

This is pretty much what happened to the X-33 programme. Dan Goldin give
strict instructions to the entrants, and then NASA civil service undermined
the process by implying there were hidden rules. Hence X-vehicle became
prototypes, testing ideas became defending concepts, and intelligent
judgement became a two billion dollar bribe by lockheed martin.

Remember also that the US manned space programme represents 2/3rds of NASA's
budget and workforce, and if anyone solves the low-cost problem, then their
jobs will quickly stop existing, as will all the political power they and
their congressional friends can wield. Ditto for large segments of high tech
industry across America. The job of the USAF's space section will become a
lot more complex and they will lose their near monopoly. These people may
covertly or overtly oppose change.

John