Negative Space: Judge King

I don’t think the problem is with NASA, but with the whole political system by which government projects are funded. You can’t afford to fail, it’s as simple as that. Congress just doesn’t provide money for things unless they’re sure to work. Of course the situation could change, but the change has to be primarily in Congress; I don’t think any management at NASA could do very differently from what they’re doing at the moment. The trouble is, the scientists aren’t interested in new propulsion methods either. They just want the good old reliable rockets; they want to get their stuff into orbit and that’s it. So scientists aren’t going to provide the kind of push that’s needed. — Freeman Dyson (Omni Magazine, October 1978)