Main Engine Cut OffThe Inevitable, False Equivalence of the Space Race
Eric Berger, writing for Ars Technica:
It’s nevertheless striking that it will probably take NASA about 17 years to design and develop Orion before finally flying its first crewed mission in 2023. During the same amount of time, from 1964 to 1981, the space program flew the Gemini spacecraft; designed, developed, and flew the Apollo capsule; and designed, developed, and flew the much more complex space shuttle.
It’s absolutely true that Orion’s timeline is ridiculous, but I can’t stand comparing post-Shuttle projects with those that came before it.
Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo were not merely civil space projects for the sake of exploration—they were Cold War projects driven by militaristic concerns. And the same goes for the Shuttle—it was arguably more of an Air Force project than a NASA project, with requirements driven by the Department of Defense at the expense of what NASA wanted out of Shuttle.
It goes without saying that projects driven by the Department of Defense get a lot more funding and focus than those elsewhere in the United States. That’s proven by things like NASA receiving old, unused telescopes from the NRO.