NASA and Boeing Lock Heads Over Space Station

Ornslo writes, "NASA is getting angry at Boeing about their project management of the International Space Station, thanks almost $1 billion in cost overruns. A NASA report released last week puts much of the blame on Boeing's acquisition of Rockwell and McDonnell Douglas, and how the company underestimated the impact this would cause on development. Because of the overruns, Boeing will lose over $125 million in incentive bonuses. I think World War III will be over money and nothing else if it ever does happen... Visit MSNBC, CNN Space, or Spaceviews for more... "

Comments

This is a surprise. Honest.

[jd]

Nothing Boeing or NASA does surprises me any more. If it were discovered tomorrow that they were both run by different factions of semi-intelligent Jelly Baby, it could hardly be any more of a shock.

Seriously, let's look at this. Boeing was doing perfectly "normal" business, by lying through it's teeth about the impact of buying out a competitor. I mean, that's standard practice, and always has been. It probably always will be, whilst CEOs worship the Great Green Printed God. Reality and business rarely mix, because reality is too damn expensive.

Even with this bonus loss, who's really hurting? Boeing? They gain 1 billion, and lose only 1/5th of that in bonuses, and that's hurting? *COUGH* Give me a break! They're laughing all the way to the bank and there's not a damn thing NASA can do to touch them. And they both know it.

Expect further rip-offs being discovered or announced in future. We all know NASA keeps getting taken for a ride, that the companies they depend upon are charging as much as 10,000% for sheer profit. NASA is a vehicle for American companies to milk. It's never been taken seriously and it doesn't even take itself seriously any more.

Far as I'm concerned, the best thing for America would be if NASA declared bankrupcy, the Government funds transferred to amateur rocket builders, and the licencing laws made more amateur developer-friendly.