rocketsocks t1_je6ybxx wrote on March 29, 2023 at 9:15 PM

Reply to comment by LunaticBZ in We Need to Get Back to the Moon by Guy_PCS

That's part of the reason. We've also made very poor architectural choices with Orion and SLS, both of which have been insanely expensive. We've also had very questionable program leadership and half-hearted management over the lifetime of the program. The current lunar program is the 3rd iteration of beyond-LEO human spaceflight within the past 15 years.

bookers555 t1_je77nm9 wrote on March 29, 2023 at 10:20 PM

That wasn't a choice, it was forced. Congress forced the SLS to be an ultra expensive zombie of the Saturn V to let the people who worked on the Space Shuttle mantain their job. I don't think people understand how much of a ridiculous waste of money it is to use RS-25 engines on a rocket. Those engines are VERY expensive, but that's because they are meant to be reused.

Least they could have done is figure out a way to, at least, recover the first stage of the SLS.