I'll bite, the second phrase never happens. NASA isn't trying in the same way that SpaceX is trying at all, they are doing amazing stuff, incredible feats like Mars rovers. When that feel of commentary comes around is when the bureaucracy of the government gets in the way of taking the risks to make the discoveries possible. We cheer SpaceX because we see them taking action, taking risks, and making progress.
We get frustrated with NASA because we've gotten use to the idea of go fast break things. However http://www.nasa.gov/missions/schedule/index.html shows they are launching 3 new projects, they just aren't the sexy science right now so don't get all the cheering. You better believe there was a lot of ooo's and aaahhh's around the new Hubble photos. So they come out with something amazing like that, then you hear that the government (in 2004 mind you) is not willing to fund them enough to keep Hubble alive, combined with the feature of loss of human life from the 2003 Columbia disaster making them risk averse.
When we see SpaceX taking risks and making discoveries, or SpaceShipOne doing the same and exploding, but then the team keeps going, we cheer that, we rally around the against all odds determination to make space accessible.
NASA has done amazing things, but they are hamstrung by the government and their own bureaucratic growth. What once was a warm blanket in the space race is now being used to try and smoother them to death now that there isn't a commercial or war time payout.
We get frustrated with NASA because we've gotten use to the idea of go fast break things. However http://www.nasa.gov/missions/schedule/index.html shows they are launching 3 new projects, they just aren't the sexy science right now so don't get all the cheering. You better believe there was a lot of ooo's and aaahhh's around the new Hubble photos. So they come out with something amazing like that, then you hear that the government (in 2004 mind you) is not willing to fund them enough to keep Hubble alive, combined with the feature of loss of human life from the 2003 Columbia disaster making them risk averse.
When we see SpaceX taking risks and making discoveries, or SpaceShipOne doing the same and exploding, but then the team keeps going, we cheer that, we rally around the against all odds determination to make space accessible.
NASA has done amazing things, but they are hamstrung by the government and their own bureaucratic growth. What once was a warm blanket in the space race is now being used to try and smoother them to death now that there isn't a commercial or war time payout.
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