How a Trump-Musk government efficiency commission might affect NASA
Former President Trump’s suggestion that a government efficiency commission be formed to examine the workings of every part of the federal government is a brilliant one. The idea that SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk be in charge of the commission would seem to be a no-brainer.
Such a commission would be the perfect vehicle for looking at NASA, an agency with a storied history beset with a slew of problems.
One of the major problems NASA faces is its difficulty with bringing projects on schedule and on budget. Examples over the past few decades include the International Space Station and the James Webb Space Telescope.
Some projects, such as the Mars Sample Return and the VIPER lunar rover have gone so far off the rails that they face cancellation or at least a lengthy process of rescoping. The tale of the Space Launch System, key to the Artemis return to the moon, remains depressing.
NASA is not unique in its inability to complete projects on time and under budget, The large number of weapons systems the Defense Department has funded that cost more and took longer to develop than originally planned goes back many decades. The F-35 is an example.
Civilian infrastructure projects have not been immune to government waste, such as the $7.5 billion the Biden administration has spent to build just seven electric car charging stations.
An article in Quartz, citing a study in the Oxford Review of Economic Policy, noted that projects at NASA have suffered an average cost overrun of 90 percent. By comparison, projects undertaken by SpaceX have had an average cost overrun of 1.1 percent.
One reason for SpaceX’s relative success is that NASA concentrates on “one-off projects focused on ‘quantum leaps’ — the Space Shuttle or the Space Launch System,” whereas Musk’s company climbs up “the launch value chain, from the small Falcon 1 rocket, to the expendable Falcon 9, to the reusable Falcon 9, to the Falcon Heavy.”
NASA reinvents projects every time, while SpaceX evolves its hardware, improving on what came before. The fact that SpaceX doesn’t have layers of bureaucracy or direct congressional mandates as NASA does is helpful, as well.
Public policy experts have known that something was wrong with NASA for decades. The White House, dating back to the second Bush administration, responded by commercializing parts of the space agency’s functions. Thus, several commercial initiatives, including Commercial Orbital Transport Systems (COTS), Commercial Crew, Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), Human Landing System and several private space stations to replace the International Space Station were undertaken.
Commercialization, with the exception of the problems encountered by the Boeing Starliner, has been successful, suggesting that two solutions exist for what troubles NASA.
One solution would be to commercialize as many functions of NASA as possible, including planetary science and Earth science. In effect, the space agency would do little to nothing in-house. It would hand out contracts on a fixed-price basis to control costs.
The other solution would be to figure out ways that NASA could borrow from the corporate cultures of its commercial partners. The space agency would streamline the decision-making process and would collapse layers of bureaucracy. The proposed commission’s task concerning NASA would be to reimagine how the space agency functions and to develop a plan to implement it.
Finally, the role of Elon Musk in the government efficiency commission raises questions.
On the one hand, the idea of appointing Musk would seem to be a brilliant one. Musk, the richest man on the planet, has a proven record of doing the impossible, doing it relatively cheaply, and making a lot of money doing it. If he can teach the federal government, including NASA, the secrets of his success, the United States will benefit immeasurably,
On the other hand, Musk’s involvement in the commission raises conflict of interest questions. SpaceX, especially, makes a lot of money on government contracts and its activities are heavily regulated by the government. Even if the commission’s proposals are found to be sound, some will raise questions if Musk and his companies stand to benefit.
Reforming the federal government, including NASA, would be worth the argument. If Musk can save taxpayers trillions of dollars, perhaps erasing the deficit and beginning to reduce the national debt, his personal benefit would be a small price to pay.
Mark R. Whittington is the author of “Why is It So Hard to Go Back to the Moon?” “ The Moon, Mars and Beyond” and, most recently, “Why is America Going Back to the Moon?” He blogs at Curmudgeons Corner.
Date: | |
Tag: | Donald Trump |
Topics
-
The New York Times - Business
How the Fed Cutting Interest Rates Affects Banks, Stocks and More
For corporate America, this week’s expected interest rate cut carries risks along with rewards.Yesterday - Federal Reserve -
Financial Times - World
How to make sense of Brussels’ new tangled commission web
Also in this newsletter: Friedrich Merz finally throws his hat in the ring for German chancellor13 hours ago -
Financial Times - World
How von der Leyen made sure the next commission dances to her tune
Also in this newsletter: floods in central and eastern Europe flesh out reality of climate changeYesterday -
MarketWatch - Business
Donald Trump could sell his ‘DJT’ stock after saying he won’t — but that might spark lawsuits
Donald Trump registered his shares for potential sale in April, but the GOP presidential nominee said last week won’t sell when lockup provision ends as early as Friday.Yesterday - Donald Trump -
The Hill - Politics
Johnson outlines economic plan under Trump if GOP controls government in 2025
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Tuesday outlined his economic agenda for the first 100 days under a second Trump administration — a plan that assumes Republicans will win unified control of ...20 hours ago - Donald Trump -
VentureBeat - Tech
Model routing: The secret weapon for maximizing AI efficiency in enterprises
What's the best model to use for an enteprise AI workflow? That's a question that Martian model router will answer dynamically to route every query.Yesterday -
The New York Times - Top stories
There Might Be More Than One Way to Make a Planet
Astronomers have found evidence of a process that supports an alternative, more rapid approach to planetary formation, more top down than bottom up.Yesterday -
Wired - Tech
22 Amazon Prime Perks You Might Not Be Using
Your membership gets you more than free two-day shipping. Here’s what you may be missing ahead of Amazon Prime Day 2024.5 hours ago -
The Hill - Politics
5 ways the Fed’s rate cuts will affect workers and consumers
The Federal Reserve is widely expected to start cutting interest rates this week, marking an inflection point in the economy. The move is expected to have an effect on financing rates in various ...8 hours ago -
Yahoo News - World
EU's von der Leyen to unveil new commission as bitter Breton resigns
Yesterday
More from The Hill
-
The Hill - Politics
Emboldened Fed lowers interest rates by half-point
The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 50 basis points Wednesday, the central bank’s first rate reduction following a two-and-a-half year crusade against inflation that raged in the wake of the ...12 minutes ago - Federal Reserve -
The Hill - Politics
Trump given handcuffs used in arrest of assassination attempt suspect
Martin County Sheriff deputies signed and donated the handcuffs used to apprehend Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect in the second assassination attempt of former President Trump. “That's good-looking ...13 minutes ago - Donald Trump -
The Hill - Politics
Watch live: Senate Intel panel to grill tech execs on election interference
Executives from Microsoft, Google's parent company Alphabet and Meta — which owns Facebook and Instagram — are providing testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee Wednesday about attempts by ...14 minutes ago -
The Hill - Politics
Shapiro forgets ID, denied alcohol while trying to celebrate canned cocktails law
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro couldn't purchase a canned cocktail under a new law expanding access to such beverages, because he forgot his ID.36 minutes ago -
The Hill - Politics
Montana Supreme Court affirms Green Party Senate candidate can appear on ballot
The Montana Supreme Court on Tuesday affirmed a lower court ruling that allowed the state’s Green Party Senate candidate to remain on the ballot in November, a blow to Democrats’ efforts to prevent ...40 minutes ago