stickmaker | NASA Doing it Again

NASA is revising the development costs of the new crew and cargo launch vehicles upwards while reducing their capabilities. Because they're making decisions based on office politics instead of sound engineering. In fact, the managers are overriding the engineers and changing already made good decisions to bad ones. Just so they can do something fancy which will make their section look good. No matter how bad it makes them look when it ruins the project.

For example, they're abandoning plans to use either a cheaper, single-use version of the SSME (Space Shuttle Main Engine) or, even less expensive, two J-2S+ LOX/LH2 engines, to instead custom design a new engine. They've also decided that the Lunar vehicle which was supposed to use LOX/Liquid Methane (mild cryogenics which can be practically stored in space for a few weeks to months) with LOX/LH2. Liquid hydrogen is a deep cryogenic, and also far less dense than liquid methane. This means larger tanks with far more insulation. Which means more cost, more mass and reduced capability.