The Schedule Pressures in Human Space Flight are Huge.
I have worked in our nations space programs for almost 40 years and schedule pressures have always been huge. We have been behind schedule and over budget constantly. We, the work force are not lazy or incompetent so what is up. Oh, the public message is safety first, safety is more important than budgets or schedule but it does not feel that way.
Why does the leadership always over promise and under deliver. Why is so much effort focused on Cost and Schedule. Why are awards based on promises that never are fulfilled.
When I worked on the Shuttle at KSC, we worked to a 72 hour/11 day schedule. Basically the next three days were planned down to the hour and the next two weeks were planned by the day. We had a mission manifest that planned the missions for the next year. I do believe in planning but I understand that almost nothing goes off according to plan.
We now have a new Plan for Human Space Flight that has us putting a woman on the Moon by 2024. Congress is rightly skeptical. It is not going to happen, there won’t be enough money and if there was enough money it would still be very very hard and unlikely. It is not a plan it is an aspiration. A wonderful aspiration. Nobody can know what it would cost and anyone proposing a realistic price will not be selected to participate.
We will again be told that we cannot take short cuts or risks, safety is more important that cost or schedule but guess what? Promotions and rewards will be based on cost and schedule performance.
Nobody wants to go back to the Moon at the earliest opportunity more than the Space workforce but it is stressful working to unrealistic schedules and budgets.
TEK
