Xref: utzoo sci.space:26414 sci.space.shuttle:6872 Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!zephyr.ens.tek.com!tektronix!sequent!crg5!szabo From: szabo@crg5.UUCP (Nick Szabo) Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.space.shuttle Subject: Re: space news from Nov 5 AW&ST Message-ID: <20714@crg5.UUCP> Date: 13 Dec 90 04:26:31 GMT References: <1990Dec11.055832.24321@zoo.toronto.edu> <20699@crg5.UUCP> Reply-To: szabo@crg5.UUCP (Nick Szabo) Organization: Sequent Computer Systems, Inc Lines: 25 In article mvk@pawl.rpi.edu (Michael V. Kent) writes: > >In article <20699@crg5.UUCP> szabo@crg5.UUCP (Nick Szabo) writes: >>large public and private markets. Unlike the larger aerospace companies, >>they are not afraid to trade short-term profits on government contracts >>for longer-term market potential. > >Do you have a particular gripe in mind, or is this just another pot shot at >the large aerospace firms? > OSC and Hercules are the only U.S. aerospace companies since the Shuttle to development a totally new, successful orbital launcher. They did it for 1/50th (2%) of what it cost to develop the first Shuttle. Unlike the major Shuttle contractors, they have carried a loss on the project (in other words risked their own money) eying future commercial markets. These are encouraging facts not gripes. Sorry I sounded like such a sourpuss over such a happy event. :-) -- Nick Szabo szabo@sequent.com "For historical reasons, this feature is unintelligible" The above opinions are my own and not related to those of any organization I may be affiliated with.