[MediaAnalyst]

...yea, yea, yea. Sink the NASA manned space budget and all that money will go to the worthy scientists for "research". Dream on. That money is going to go down the same rat hole that the other 79% of the federal budget goes (I give the military a pass, as they do provide a necessary function).

It astounds me that people waste all this energy complaining about NASA just because they can't provide perfection on the shoestring budget that they've had ever since Apollo.

I do admire Rutan, his accomplishments have been remarkable. I've seen his hardware first-hand. But if I remember right, his first suborbital flight was nothing to write home about either. But NASA is a nice easy target that is prohibited by law from even making anything more than a token attempt to argue their case in the MSM, so let's all pile on, so we don't have to deal with our own miserable lives.

Feel better?

[anymouse]

So do you work for a NASA contractor or do you just shill for them for the fun of it?

NASA is not immune from criticism just because they do something slightly more valuable with our tax dollars than most other government agencies. We as tax dollars should demand the best from every government agency and every single person on the government payroll. To settle for less is just furthering the problem.

BTW, if the commercial sector is able and willing to do an activity as well or better than the government, we are fools for allowing the government to keep doing it. Last I checked businesses and their employees and investors pay taxes, where as the government spends those taxes. Less government means less taxes. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the greater benefit of getting the government out of the space business - or other businesses for that matter.