Now what?

[Rick]

With the apparant demise in NASA's eyes, and mine, of DIRCT 2.0, what should DIRECT supportors do?

From where I sit, the DIRECT following should change gears, and focus their attention on helping NASA correct the flaws that the DIRECT community thinks that are wrong with Ares. There is nothing more important than launching astronauts on a safe, reliable vehicle, while at the same time, providing the least amount of time between STS and Constellation, to try and retain the current work force at NASA and its contractors. The DIRECT community can help do this.

Hopefully, those who pushed DIRECT did not burn one to many bridges chiding NASA about their current Ares planning. At times, their distaste for NASA, and its upper management was difficult to read, for me anyway.

The DIRECT proposal was well thought out, but too late in coming, which was, in my opinion one of the reasons why it has failed.

[JimMcDade]

I don't know if reconciliation with NASA engineers and administrators is possible so soon after this flap.

If we go back to the early 1960s, similar debates and battles were waged before and after the Apollo spacecraft Saturn V-LM-CM-CSM configuration was selected from the pool of contractor proposals. NASA had invited dozens of potential spacecraft builders to submit lunar mission vehicle concepts. Some of the design proposals looked like they were right out of 1950s sci-fi flicks.

The big difference bewteen those Apollo contract award battles and this DIRECT flap was that those engineers did not try to play the media against NASA and once NASA made their decision, the contenders shut their yaps and moved on.

I think it is is pat time for the DIRECT advocates to move on. Reconciliation can come later when the current episode is just a blip on the radar screen of history.

The winners don't just write history, they create history. - Jim

[Rick]

I do not disagree Jim. However, offering an olive branch to NASA, could not hurt.

[Andrew]

I do not disagree Jim. However, offering an olive branch to NASA, could not hurt.

There is nothing for DIRECT to offer NASA except to shut their yaps. They don't want to do so and seem goal-driven to marginalize their existence in short order.

That's fine. They can do so all they want. And as the Ares test vehicle launches in nine months, they can continue to weep and moan for their precious system or start work with private organizations to launch a new space effort their way.

Of course, that won't happen. And we'll have people from around the world curse NASA for refusing to spend American tax dollars in a backwards way that is less safe and less performance driven.

[JimMcDade]

I do hope that NASA will not hold a lasting grudge against those individuals who were suckered into this strange DIRECT episode. DIRECT will amount to nothing more than a mild annoyance or distraction in the long run. It is not something that held up progress on Ares or other Project Constellation activities.

The DIRECT advocates are not enemies of NASA. They just want NASA to do better from their perspective, as distorted as that perspective might be.

The most dangerous opponents of NASA are the people who want to kill the U.S. space program and allow other nations to reap the benefits of space. That is where the real threat lies.

[Andrew]

I do hope that NASA will not hold a lasting grudge against those individuals who were suckered into this strange DIRECT episode.

Your reasonable tone is, of course, correct. I just am frustrated that we have PDRs being issued, contracts signed, and are close to 40 months into the Ares program (and only nine months from the Ares I-X launch) and some of these people keep harping that they have the magical remedy and with the snap of their fingers can *still* have a finished project ready to launch before Ares.

They are just wrong and are too late and a dollar short.

I know at least one of the main DIRECT guys (who we are no longer naming), and he's a swell dude even if he doesn't drink. I'm sure he thinks he is doing the Lord's work on this, but all he is doing is hurting the overall effort.

Come what may; the dye is already cast. Time to get onboard and support what is going to happen.

-Andrew

[Rick]

and he's a swell dude even if he doesn't drink. I'm sure he thinks he is doing the Lord's work on this, but all he is doing is hurting the overall effort.
-Andrew

He does drink when he's not driving. Problem is, he's always driving.:)

[Andrew]

He does drink when he's not driving. Problem is, he's always driving.:)

Solution: have the woman drive. It has worked well for me for more than four years!!!

Here's what you have to do: tailgate the car in front of you every time your S.O. is in the car until she loses her mind and decides to drive for a "safety factor." Then, it's a nice tumbler of Gentleman Jack (ice back) in the jumper seat for all road trips and plenty of nap time.

It was sweet during our trip to Charleston, SC this last long weekend! Which reminds me (having an ADD moment), Virginia has authorized a NASA license plate for LRC workers with the NASA meatball on the left side of the plate! I saw it in Savannah earlier this year on a car next to Franklin Square and it looked outstanding. Too bad that Florida won't authorize a KSC employee special license plate, as well.

-Andrew