Wickwick Ars Legatus Legionis
13y
30,072
Terakh said:

let's see the promises actually get delivered on "near" agreed upon time and cost given that some of the stuff don't even exist.

As long as Congress funds the programs on the agreed-upon schedules, I think both landers will be ready before their respective Artemis missions are flown.

Unfortunately, Congress has a history of reducing funding levels below what the delivery time requires then complaining that the programs are delayed. But those sorts of shenanigans only seem to happen to fixed-price contracts where they have no control over where and how the money is spent. The cost-plus rocket contracts seem immune to any sorts of cuts. //

EricBerger Ars Scholae Palatinae
7y
1,067
ARS STAFF
pipe13 said:

...and a large source of energy. You know, to mine the water, collect the CO2, and put the proverbial toothpaste back in the tube.

The numbers are pretty sobering: Approximately 750 kilowatts of continuous energy, for two years, to produce 1,000 tons of liquid oxygen and methane. //

RichyRoo Wise, Aged Ars Veteran
5y
113
Subscriptor
Hopefully Smarter said:

I love seeing the enthusiasm about spreading the toxic virus of humanity throughout the universe.

without us there is no point to the rest of the universe //

abie Ars Scholae Palatinae
5y
719
Hopefully Smarter said:

I love seeing the enthusiasm about spreading the toxic virus of humanity throughout the universe.

What you call a toxic virus, I call the light of consciousness. We've found no signs of life anywhere in the universe. Life might be incredibly rare, intelligent life rarer still. Taking the first hesitant steps to establishing life off Earth should be a cause for celebration, not miserable cynicism such as yours.