PhilpaxArtemis II lifts off: four astronauts begin 10-day lunar mission
Take note of a project that’s about 15 years behind schedule and many multiples over budget finally progressed because we lowered safety standards to just launch?
I’m not sure how that’s proof the government isn’t gutted. Let me know what our schedule is for the next one and how that timeline has changed. Ignoring the projects that have been outright canceled…
You’re currently the guy saying “ya, all you haters that said I’d lose my house if I stopped paying my mortgage, who’s laughing now?” - one month into not paying your mortgage.
We’ll still be dealing with the after effects of doge 20 years from now.
Don't confuse bureaucracy with "gutted." The federal government is bigger than at most any point in US history. Arguably that fact is -why- it's 15 years behind schedule.
Nope, the federal workforce is now the smallest it's been in a half century[1].
February 2026: 2.693 million, the lowest number since July 1965.
That's per 100k, net spending of the federal government is more than ever, and actual workforce is bigger than ever.
> we lowered safety standards to just launch
Aren’t they still well above anything in the history of human space flight?
We keep treating these systems in popular discourse as airliners. They’re not. They’re experimental craft. With mass production maybe SpaceX can bring launch closer to general aviation. But the notion that any loss of life is intolerable is (a) unsustainably expensive and (b) not a view shared by the lives actually at risk.
They aren’t in the same
magnitude as F9 and Dragon to ISS, so no. I question if they are as safe as the shuttle (final computed risk 1:90).
magnitude as F9 and Dragon to ISS, so no. I question if they are as safe as the shuttle (final computed risk 1:90).
> aren’t in the same magnitude as F9 and Dragon to ISS, so no
Fair enough. For a heat-shield discussion I guess we should talk about higher-energy missions. But conceded. LEO has normalized safe space travel.
"something never done before not done on my personal schedule"
This is the height of ignorance.
Come on man be honest. There were multiple, massive delays with the program related to literally every aspect. You're not engaging seriously.
"Delays on something that I don't understand are unacceptable, I refused to label a human step forward as a success because of my personal preconceptions"
You are so out of your depth you should stop.
This was the cost of getting there -- going forward yes we must figure out efficiency. But this was the novel path to this moment that was needed.
I knew The Discourse on this would be toxic and awful and so much of this thread has proved it.
My position is I would rather pay for 50 years of Artemis missions that never leave the ground than spend one more fucking dollar attempting to slow the descent of the American empire, or that of its colonies.
This was inspiring and amazing to watch. Actual history being made. Competence displayed proudly. No culture war bullshit. No insipid speeches by dullards about REAL AMERICA. Just us doing something because we can, and with plans to do even more.
Indeed. The GSA with 10k employees is going to fall apart without the 40k unused winzip licences DOGE so cruelly took away from them in their senseless spree of madness.