Main Engine Cut OffEM-1 Officially Slips to 2019
Eric Berger, Ars Technica:
“We agree with the GAO that maintaining a November 2018 launch readiness date is not in the best interest of the program, and we are in the process of establishing a new target in 2019,” wrote William Gerstenmaier, chief of NASA’s human spaceflight program. “Caution should be used in referencing the report on the specific technical issues, but the overall conclusions are valid.”
That last line reminds me of the letter my sister-in-law received last week from the much-maligned PPA after fighting a wrongful parking ticket, which stated “Your complaint has been found to be accurate and valid.” rather than “We were wrong.” A little bit of spin is what Gerst is known for, after all.
It’ll be interesting to see how all of these pieces come together—the EM–1 crew study, spacesuit development issues, and the evolving plans for NASA in cislunar space. Mix in the progress on Commercial Crew and private plans, like Dragon 2 around the Moon, and things get really interesting.
This next year is pivotal for NASA, and for the trajectory of US-based spaceflight, in general. The pieces on the table can be arranged to either double down on the status quo—NASA needs more money and it needs a plan, dammit!—or to shed the old baggage and embrace a new way of thinking.