Re: beancounters at the top
"21st century NASA, Boeing and the ULA seem to be top-heavy with people who are more interested in pay and politics than in getting the job done on time and without killing people"
Quite possible. Yet, look at Boeing's reputation taking a BIG hit over what they did with the newer 737's, and the resulting crashes, and what they're gonna have to do to fix it before the planes go in the air [are they STILL grounded? I haven't heard much].
If the FAA does its job correctly they should also manage space-related flight. And if it's UNSAFE, it gets GROUNDED, and the company responsible must fix it at no charge. That is actually good motivation to get safety and human life to the top of the priority list...
(and the same goes for space-liners around the world - no more 737 MAX fiascos)
Worthy of reminder when there's a crash anywhere in the world the FAA is going to want to analyze it to prevent it from happening again, and since many of those planes are built in the USA, they'll stick their noses in whenever they wanna, for good reason. It's one of the things gummint does _RIGHT_.
Anyway those bean counters that actually think bottom line comes before safety oughta fear losing their jobs the next time something like the 737MAX fiasco happens.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
