Comments on: Spirit Finds Water, Still Stuck https://gregladen.com/blog/2010/10/28/spirit-finds-water-still-stuck/ Fri, 29 Oct 2010 20:54:59 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.8 By: Greg Laden https://gregladen.com/blog/2010/10/28/spirit-finds-water-still-stuck/#comment-525510 Fri, 29 Oct 2010 20:54:59 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2010/10/28/spirit-finds-water-still-stuck/#comment-525510 Military equipment tends to be over built. But then it gets shot at and stuff.

]]> By: IanW https://gregladen.com/blog/2010/10/28/spirit-finds-water-still-stuck/#comment-525509 Fri, 29 Oct 2010 19:29:29 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2010/10/28/spirit-finds-water-still-stuck/#comment-525509 Or you could have them significantly over-building their probes and using the best materials and best engineering techniques because they know they have to make these things rugged and reliable, and this is why they end up lasting so long. It’s not rocket science. Well, yeah, actually it is, and that’s why it’s far too expensive to apply liberally throughout government.

]]> By: itzac https://gregladen.com/blog/2010/10/28/spirit-finds-water-still-stuck/#comment-525508 Thu, 28 Oct 2010 21:10:41 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2010/10/28/spirit-finds-water-still-stuck/#comment-525508 You can have a group of highly competent people working well together to accomplish something amazing. You can have paralyzing bureaucracy standing in the way of any idea that isn’t yours. Either, or anything in between, can happen in organizations of any size, public or private. It’s all just people working together with more or less success.

]]> By: Greg Laden https://gregladen.com/blog/2010/10/28/spirit-finds-water-still-stuck/#comment-525507 Thu, 28 Oct 2010 20:28:53 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2010/10/28/spirit-finds-water-still-stuck/#comment-525507 I do not assume that the government is incapable of specing and supervising building of products that last compared to the free market. I know people say that all the time, but I have no idea what the evidence is for that.

I once owned a Chevy Chevette. Excellent evidence that the private sector does not automatically do it right.

]]> By: Lyle https://gregladen.com/blog/2010/10/28/spirit-finds-water-still-stuck/#comment-525506 Thu, 28 Oct 2010 20:25:24 +0000 http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2010/10/28/spirit-finds-water-still-stuck/#comment-525506 Given that the rovers were speced for 90 days, and they are at 5+ years now that shows that at least one part of the government (JPL) can supervise building things that last. (Of course they have been known for this if there probes get there they last a long time. Perhaps we need to ask what is the moxie this part of nasa has that seems to have been lost in the other parts let alone the rest of the government.

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