Re: FOBS as a Primary Motivator for Human Spaceflight

From Eric Chomko:
On Dec 19, 8:54 pm, Stuf4 <tdadamemd-spamblo...@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I know of absolutely no reason for hiring military members to pilot
CEV. There is not even any 'security clearance' excuse that I am
aware of. It will be designed to fly fully automated, perhaps even
with automated docking. All tasks within the capabilities of a
chimpanzee. So if we see NASA turn to the US military to hire CEV
crews, that will be a solid confirmation of this view that human
spaceflight is being funded as a national security program.

That makes as much sense as saying that the commercial airlines, by
hiring ex-military pilots to fly their airplanes, must be considered
part of the national security apparatus as a result. Clearly commecial
airplanes are not national security concerns.

Have you ever been on a commercial airline flight where the pilot in
either seat was an active duty member of DoD, getting paid by DoD to
fly you to your destination? Neither have I. Now if NASA *only*
hired pilots who had separated from the military, or who did their
military jobs in a guard or reserve status when not doing their NASA
job, THEN I might see your rebuttal as a significant analogy. But the
point stands that DoD provides pilots and crew to NASA. And DoD keeps
cutting their paychecks while they are at NASA. Their NASA job *is*
their military job. And their officer evaluations and promotions are
based on how they do their NASA (/military) job.

As stated earlier, DoD is an integral part of the shuttle program.

...but if NASA were to hire only non-military civilians, then I would
be glad to reconsider this view I have maintained.

You can have any view (opinion) you like, be it wrong or right. The
DOD trains pilots. Why avoid people that no how to fly?

There is a huge difference between hiring ex-military civilians (as
the airlines do) versus hiring active duty military DoD members who
continue on DoD's payroll (as NASA has always done).

And to further point out how unnecessary military test pilots were/are
in the shuttle program, just look at what SpaceShipOne folks were able
to do with a non-military high school dropout as their prime test
pilot!

The SS1 didn't even go into orbit. There was no skill needed. You have
to land the shuttle.

I am certain that it took far more skill to fly the first SS1 space
mission than it took to fly the 100th space shuttle mission.

Ok, so it will be expected that military members who are already in
the astronaut corps to transfer over to CEV, but when they start
hiring new folks, THAT will be the test.

(And keep in mind that when you hire military personnel into a program
that does Not have a national security role, then taking them out of
their previous jobs causes a negative impact to that posture.)

You use English like it's your second language.

And if English did happen to be my second language, I don't see why
that would be considered objectionable. This is an international
global forum for people with an interest in space history. When
people engage in sharp rebuke while indicating no recognition that DoD
officers have taken an active role in constructing ISS, or make
statement like, "You have to land the shuttle" while implying that SS1
did not need active piloting skill to land, I consider that to be a
far more pervasive barrier than any language issue.


~ CT
.

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