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NASA's Manned Rocket Contract: $4.2 Billion To Boeing, $2.6 Billion To SpaceX
schwit1 writes NASA has chosen two companies to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station, and those companies are Boeing and SpaceX. This decision confirms that SpaceX is ready to go and gives the company the opportunity to finish the job, while also giving Boeing the chance to show that it can still compete. After NASA has certified that each company has successfully built its spacecraft, SpaceX and Boeing will each fly two to six missions. The certification process will be step-by-step, similar to the methods used in the cargo contracts, and will involve five milestones. The contracts will be paid incrementally as they meet these milestones. One milestone will be a manned flight to the ISS, with one NASA astronaut on board. Boeing will receive $4.2 billion, while SpaceX will get $2.6 billion. These awards were based on what the companies proposed and requested.
They both got essentially the same contract, the dollar value represents what the companies bid for it, rather than establishing a first/second place.
Basically, the both won an equal contract. On the one hand, it sucks for SpaceX that they get less money to do the same thing, but on the other hand, it will put quite a feather in their cap to be able to demonstrate concretely that they can live up to their claims of doing it for less, which will give them a huge edge in the next round of contracts. Next time they can say "Look, we did everything just as well as Boeing, but we cost you a ton less. This time you should give us most of the flights."
Here's how the war on poverty is doing: http://dailycaller.com/2014/09...
Thanks for the link, it has some numbers that show how relatively little NASA costs.
From the article:
The government has spent some $22 trillion on means-tested welfare programs since the War on Poverty began (in constant 2012 dollars).
This does not include Social Security, Medicare, nor unemployment insurance.
All of NASA's spending since 1958 totals 790 billion (inflation adjusted).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B...
This provides some data on the direct benefits of the space program:
http://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/eco...
Keep in mind that without the space program, there would be no DirectTV and we would be dependent upon Comcast.
Wow - Java Computer game licensing ... 2.5 billion, the future of America's space dreams ... 2.6 billion.
However, a mission to Mars would require research into food preservation which is one of the largest problems to getting food into remote areas of the world and maintaining nutritional value for the people who need to consume it. For ever argument you can throw at NASA being a waste of money, I can counter that argument with a reason why NASA improves life.
Place something witty here