Cathedrals vs. bazaars

[...]
> I assert you cannot have it both ways of fast
> innovation and human space travel. Put a single life
> at stake and failure is not an option or you are being
> by definition reckless. Safety precautions that drive
> up cost enormously while making managers and planners
> very cautious. Who wants to explain to an astronauts
> family why a minor oversight cost them their loved
> ones life.

We take risks all the time. Understanding and managing risk is part of
all exploration and development. It is not reckless to take measured
risks. The reason NASA has cost problems is not simply risk aversion,
it's risk aversion coupled with a love of needless complexity.
Simplify things and risks go down. The shuttle accidents (both of
them) could have been avoided by simplifying the launcher. Ditch the
wings, ditch the solids, ditch the requirement to lift payload and crew
in one vehicle, and you have a system that can be made both more robust
and more likely to keep the crew alive in the event of a system failure.

Technological risk management is well understood by nearly everyone
except NASA. That's a little unfair, since there are numerous people
within NASA who understand how to manage risks, just not the ones
making system level decisions.

......Andrew