Starship is still not understood

Re:Starship is still not understood by fasteddie31003 on Thursday October 28, 2021 @09:35AM (#29025933)

I'm not sure that NASA designs much. JPL designs and builds most of the probes launched by NASA. JPL is an anomaly in the Federal Government where it gets good results. It would be interesting to look into how JPL does so well relative to other agencies and contractors such as Boeing (which is a national embarrassment).

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Starship is still not understood by basementcat on Thursday October 28, 2021 @11:23AM (#29027174)

JPL is the only NASA center that is staffed by non civil servants and managed (under contract) by a private organization (Caltech). By law this gives them certain flexibility that other NASA centers aren’t afforded (e.g. Caltech has lobbyists in Washington DC). It may make more sense to categorize JPL with other Federally Funded Research and Development Centers such as Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Starship is still not understood by Loic on Thursday October 28, 2021 @09:40AM (#29026001)

People with passion. JPL people were/are (and I hope will continue to be) believer in the purpose of what they are doing.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Starship is still not understood by aero-glide2 on Thursday October 28, 2021 @09:41AM (#29026015)

Interestingly, the author himself works for JPL.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Starship is still not understood by jacobr1 on Thursday October 28, 2021 @01:49PM (#29028910)

JPL employees are actually private employees of CalTech not federal employees.

[ Parent | on HN ]