Future MDA, NASA, and military job loss (Huntsville: school, salary)

[CFOTOCEO]

HB2HSV is correct.

[jkratze1]

Where does the KEI Program fit in with GMD? I read that funding for the KEI program being developed by Northrop Grumman has been approved.

[guxu]

Originally Posted by HB2HSV

Specifically, the one is being cut is the Ground based Midcourse Defense (GMD).

This one is Sea based.

The article mentioned that as well. And no indication that it has been cut.

Another part of the missile defense protection -- ground-based midcourse defense -- is designed to strike at long-range missiles.
Both the sea-based and ground-based systems are part of the Pentagon's "layered" missile defense plan.

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by jkratze1

Where does the KEI Program fit in with GMD? I read that funding for the KEI program being developed by Northrop Grumman has been approved.

Interesting, I'd thought that KEI is dead.

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by guxu

The article mentioned that as well. And no indication that it has been cut.

I'd thought that it was telling when they chose to use Sea based Missile to shoot down that satellite in a wrong orbit.

So yeah, Sea Based funding is doing well.

[jkratze1]

Originally Posted by HB2HSV

Interesting, I'd thought that KEI is dead.

I thought KEI was dead also. But then I read this:

And, by a 124-307 vote, lawmakers rejected a bid by Rep. John Tierney, D-Mass., to kill $80 million for the Kinetic Energy Interceptor, a ballistic missile defense system that's way over budget and has yet to experience a flight test. The Bush administration had soured on the program; the project is being undertaken in Huntsville, Ala., by the Northrop Grumman Corp.

[CFOTOCEO]

President can still veto then back to the floor for a veto override.

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by jkratze1

I thought KEI was dead also. But then I read this:

And, by a 124-307 vote, lawmakers rejected a bid by Rep. John Tierney, D-Mass., to kill $80 million for the Kinetic Energy Interceptor, a ballistic missile defense system that's way over budget and has yet to experience a flight test. The Bush administration had soured on the program; the project is being undertaken in Huntsville, Ala., by the Northrop Grumman Corp.

Just read my Huntsville Times paper from last couple of days and it had a couple of stories on this. Yes KEI was resurrected despite the fact that LtG. O'Reilly voted to cancel it.

But it's also interesting that MDA is thinking to bring the SM3 (sea based) to become "land based" and this work will come to Hunstville.

The justification for the cutback on GMD but increased funding to sea based and THAAD is that today's "threats" are focused on short- and intermediate-range missiles, e.g., N. Korea, Iran, as oppose to Russia & China capabilities, etc.

MDA is also hiring, about 200 staff every year for the next 3~4 years. They will cut back on "support contractor" but increase on "civil services" to provide "stability" But they will proceed with this "slowly" because they don't want to steal the productive knowledgeable valuable employees from their support contractors. So they'll just go hire inexperience unproven people from the street?

It doesn't have to make sense. Welcome to the government.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by HB2HSV

MDA is also hiring... So they'll just go hire inexperience unproven people from the street?

It doesn't have to make sense. Welcome to the government.

If the MDA produced MP3 players:

a) How much would one cost?
b) How much would one weigh? Other dimensions? (Would it require wheels?)
c) How many songs (or memory) could it hold?
d) What media types could it play? (or would it have it's own proprietary media type?)
e) What steps would you have to take to acquire music?
f) What might it's interface capabilities be? What sort of interface? To what components would it interface? etc.
g) Describe the HMI, Human Machine Interface.
h) How thick would the user manual be?

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by Charles

If the MDA produced MP3 players:

a) How much would one cost?
b) How much would one weigh? Other dimensions? (Would it require wheels?)
c) How many songs (or memory) could it hold?
d) What media types could it play? (or would it have it's own proprietary media type?)
e) What steps would you have to take to acquire music?
f) What might it's interface capabilities be? What sort of interface? To what components would it interface? etc.
g) Describe the HMI, Human Machine Interface.
h) How thick would the user manual be?

Wrong question. A missile is not a MP3 player.

1) A missile is 99.99% preparation and 0.01% operation (hopefully NEVER !)

2) A missile is not produced by the prisoners in labor camps in China

3) There is only ONE SONG a missile will sing -- that is the song of silence

4) What steps would you have to take to acquire music? -- the START button

5) What might it's interface capabilities be? What sort of interface? To what components would it interface? etc. --- IF I tell ya, I'll have to kill ya.

6) Describe the HMI, Human Machine Interface. -- It is the key interface for the bad guys to meet their maker.

7) How thick would the user manual be? -- One page. This is the START button. Do NOT attempt to recover or reuse this after start. Do NOT be anywhere near this device after start!!!