Guest: Ross Tierney was the guest for this in-person taped interview conducted here in Cocoa Beach on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008. This was a very hard-hitting interview with Ross about Direct 2, its technology, its likelihood of being adopted by NASA as an alternative to Ares 1, and more. I asked Ross why we should have confidence in Direct 2 when it was basically a PowerPoint presentation given that it has not yet undergone any metal bending, any development or testing. I asked why there would not be design problems with it as there are with Ares and the NASA selected hardware. You will want to hear what Ross had to say in response to these questions and others. We also talked about the NASA administration, why problematic engineering designs are pursued, why engineers would work on a known bad design if indeed the design was bad. Ross was not optimistic about the prospects for Direct 2 until the next NASA Administrator takes over. For now, Direct 2 is in a holding pattern. We talked about the overall VSE program, its costs, its mission, the goals and the objectives of the program, and the ultimate goal of going to Mars. Ross had much to say about all of this and was more than outspoken on many issues regarding NASA, our return to the Moon, Ares, and Direct. You can learn more about Direct 2 at their website, www.launchcomplexmodels.com/Direct/ . If you have questions or comments for Ross Tierney, please email him at sales@launchcomplexmodels.com.
Guest
The Space Show
