Damned Dirty Apes

by | Mar 12, 2022 | Beer, Federal Power, Florida, Food & Drink, Markets | 152 comments

Its starting to get too easy to rag on NASA.  How the mighty have fallen.

This is my review of Lead Dog Brewery Raspberries Are Red IPA:

In a testimony to a recent House committee, NASA Inspector General Paul Martin revealed the operational costs for the Artemis Program down to a single launch:

Martin revealed the operational costs of the big rocket and spacecraft for the first time. Moreover, he took aim at NASA and particularly its large aerospace contractors for their “very poor” performance in developing these vehicles.

Martin said that the operational costs alone for a single Artemis launch—for just the rocket, Orion spacecraft, and ground systems—will total $4.1 billion. This is, he said, “a price tag that strikes us as unsustainable.” With this comment, Martin essentially threw down his gauntlet and said NASA cannot have a meaningful exploration program based around SLS and Orion at this cost.

Keep going because it gets better.  The costs cited here do not include development costs already incurred and the usual government fuzzy math:

Martin also said NASA is obscuring costs that it is spending on the Artemis program and that, in aggregate, his office believes NASA will spend $93 billion from 2012 to 2025 on the Artemis program.

Which is a bit sad given NASA is usually one of the least hated government agencies due to the nostalgia from the Apollo moon landing program.  Incidentally, landing on the moon is what the Artemis program is supposed to do.

I know what you are thinking, what does a launch cost Elon Musk?  Unfortunately, there is a bit of an apples to oranges aspect of this since SpaceX is launching people into orbit but not necessarily to land on the moon.  With that caveat, a Dragon Capsule launch costs somewhere between $55 and $90 million.

Perhaps its uncharitable to compare a fully operational SpaceX rocket to the SLS rocket which NASA contracts.  Development of that rocket is estimated to be around $8.75 billion.  RocketLab, a SpaceX competitor, is currently underway with development of the smaller Neutron rocket and projects development costs at a mere $200 million.   Even if the Neutron has a smaller payload 15,000kg vs. 27,000kg, pound for pound these costs are not comparable at all.

Pound for pound is a turn of phrase, I realize I compared payloads in kilos.

So what happened?  I don’t know anymore, maybe it has something to do with fluoride in tap water.

 

What I also found a bit disappointing was this beer.  I thought it was going to be another one of those fruity, lactose infused monstrosities—not quite.  If you are into the sour ale scene, puckering your lips and still trying to figure out why your urine smells weird the next morning, this will probably disappoint you too, as this is technically an IPA.  So its just tart berries, hops, and a few floaters?  Yes, that’s exactly what it is.  I’m sure somebody hates themselves enough and/or has the palate for this, but its not one I will get again. Lead Dog Brewery Raspberries Are Red IPA: 2.1/5

About The Author

mexican sharpshooter

mexican sharpshooter

WARNING: Glibertarians.com contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. https://youtu.be/qiAyX9q4GIQ?t=2m22s

152 Comments

  1. Scruffy Nerfherder

    the operational costs alone for a single Artemis launch—for just the rocket, Orion spacecraft, and ground systems—will total $4.1 billion

    JFC. They’ve gotten even worse over the years since I was involved with them on some ancillary satellite stuff.

  2. Yusef drives a Kia

    I like raspberry in ales, and sours rock! I’ll try it,
    Howdy Messy and all you nutjobs out there!

    • mexican sharpshooter

      You’ll like this. So next time you’re in Vegas…

      • Yusef drives a Kia

        You know it!

  3. The Hyperbole

    Fruit does not belong in beer.

    • CPRM

      Agreed.

    • Nephilium

      /keeps all of his fruited lambics, radlers, and shandies

      • Yusef drives a Kia

        /Hangs out at Neph’s house

      • hayeksplosives

        /raises glass of Duchesse De Bourgogne

      • DrOtto

        “Gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay…” -Mark Hammill.

      • Brochettaward

        The first nine gays seemed excessive, but by the time I got to the tenth I came around.

  4. CPRM

    What happened to all that Space Camp lucre? Millions of kids paying thousands of dollars because they saw a movie once.

    • R.J.

      Please do something with the space force har and space camp. That would be great. “Training the next generation.”

      • CPRM

        He’d be great as a host of a kids game show, where every ‘prize’ was a trip to Space Camp. Except the winner, who got a pair of BK shoes.

      • Gustave Lytton

        Sometimes nostalgia isn’t so great.

        /wasn’t cool enough for a pair of British Knights

      • CPRM

        I never had BKs, but I did have KangaRoos. And I tied them behind the heel in a secret way I called The Boomerang. I was nerdy cool like that.

      • Chafed

        Holy cow! I forgot that company ever existed.

  5. CPRM

    If NASA just made that vulva shaped ship it would cost them 25% less.

    • Don escaped Texas

      golf clap

    • mexican sharpshooter

      Yes, but it would constantly get into fender benders with other satellites.

      “That ISS came from out of nowhere!”

    • blackjack

      Once it splashed down in the ocean, you’d never get the smell off all of the fish!

  6. Not Adahn

    I wonder if anyone is going to shoot today. It’s kind of boring as fuck peaceful waiting under the shelter as the snow comes down.

    • UnCivilServant

      Still in the midst of the production cutover.

      We just started end user testing, which is always a joy /sarc

    • CPRM

      Let us know if a soccer game breaks out and you all come out of the trenches.

  7. Ted S.

    Milkshake-flavored beer?

    Beer-flavored milkshake?

    Eewwww, and that’s even if the milkshake is not carbonated.

    • CPRM

      I’m not sure where you got milkshake out of this, but it lets me pimp one of my favorite beers. Milkshake Malt Porter. I mean, technically a milkshake and a malt are two different ice cream drinks, and Teds’ hates carbonated stuff, so you’ll probably respond with either a link to 1940s music or movies, which none of us will get.

      • mexican sharpshooter

        It says milkshake on the can

      • CPRM

        So now not only do I have to ‘Read The Fucking Article’ but I have to read the pictures? What is this, some kind of underground government literacy course?

      • Ted S.

        So now not only do I have to ‘Read The Fucking Article’ but I have to read the pictures?

        Yes.

      • mexican sharpshooter

        I’m not here to tell you what to do.

    • mexican sharpshooter

      I’m sorry Ted,

    • Nephilium

      Milkshake IPA’s just use lactose (milk sugar) to add a body and some sweetness. It became a trend a couple years back, and still hasn’t faded out yet.

      But, just for you and those who dislike carbonation, there is a company making still alcoholic water.

      • Ted S.

        Fuck, I can just drink vodka, thank you very much.

  8. LCDR_Fish

    Still want to see the original Orion utilized – if nothing else as a one-time thing to get a city-block’s worth of materiel into orbit. Maybe as a last ditch effort before the luddites/greens burn it all (just finished “Fallen Angels”).

    As an aside – has anyone done any development recently on lifting lasers? I recall a bunch of folks writing about it a while back – using huge hectares of solar power in the desert to charge lasers that would fire into reflectors on the backs/inside rockets.

    • UnCivilServant

      Unless the lasers are there to ablate the underside of the vessel and turn it into ejecta, it’s not going to produce enough thrust to produce lift. Even then, the vaporized materials will interfere with the lasers operations.

      If you’re hoping that sheer volumes of light will push the object, you will find that you’ll sooner turn the atmosphere under it to plasma than lift it with photon pressure.

      Gravity is just too much of a bitch.

      • LCDR_Fish

        Yeah….might have involved [dry] ice as well – pretty sure most of those guys had thought about the physics.

      • robc

        It worked for the Moties, but they launched from space.

      • hayeksplosives

        Bull tried to persuade a guy I eventually worked with in Minnesota to come with him to Canada and “elsewhere” to help on Babylon.

        My colleague balked. Good thing, too since Bull ended up committing suicide with 7 bullets to the back of his head in Belgium.

      • Tonio

        You know who else loved them some low orbit cannon?

    • Yusef drives a Kia

      I watched something about a Stainless steel Concave top shape that was spun up to around 10k RPMs and then hit with a laser and the thing took off just fine.
      Scaling is another matter.

    • DEG

      “Fallen Angels” was good.

  9. LCDR_Fish

    Best raspberry beer is still the Rubaeus by Founders and the Raspberry Ale by Sam Smith (haven’t been able to get for a few years now sadly).

    • Don escaped Texas

      I hate prunes and such in my beer, but

      I have not known Founders to make any mistakes

    • Yusef drives a Kia

      Wrong, Lagunitas Dark Swan is far and away better than Rubeaus, and founders does good beer

      • LCDR_Fish

        I’ll look – nearly all the Lagunitas I’ve seen have been IPAs.

    • Tres Cool

      Salt and/or Pepa really take the wrinkles out of my love-sausage.
      Other than that, it made my ass polyps burst and bleed.

  10. blackjack

    I thought this one was funny.

    • CPRM

      Look how young and spry the Hair looks!

    • CPRM

      I didn’t even hover over that link because I assumed it was to your article. Bad Mexican! Bad!

  11. Q Continuum

    From dedthred.

    RE: Starship Vulvaprise – Good thing those gals are physicists, aerospace engineers, materials scientists and chemists… oh wait? What’s that? They all have degrees in female butthurt studies? Good luck building your ship.

    RE: WHER MUH GAY KIDZ? – I think progs grossly overestimate exactly how many voters support their fanatical insane indoctrination. Youngkin won largely because suburban moms were fed up with Dems’ lunacy in education. When your enemy is making a mistake, never interrupt them.

    https://archive.ph/ty9Gs

    Silicone Saturday.

    • DEG

      I think progs grossly overestimate exactly how many voters support their fanatical insane indoctrination. Youngkin won largely because suburban moms were fed up with Dems’ lunacy in education. When your enemy is making a mistake, never interrupt them.

      Unfortunately, I’ve heard Progressives did well in recent NH school board elections.

    • DEG

      I tapped out of the girly pics at the face diaper picture. Blech.

      Source for NH Progressives doing well in recent school board elections.

      • R.J.

        Unfortunately I am in the car with my wife so I am not able to perform the service of counting masks vs. free boobies.

  12. Ownbestenemy

    This is happening and I will bask in the gloriousness of a 2019 world.

    Irish Whiskey Tasting (1:50pm – 2:10pm) – I lost horribly last time, but I am always game to try again.
    St. Baldrick’s Head Shaving Fundraiser (3:00pm – 4:00pm) – Most awesome charity ever. Beer and feel good about going bald?
    Enter the Haggis (7:00pm – 8:15pm)

    • DEG

      🙂

      • Ownbestenemy

        I never had a grandpa and he is now my grandpa

      • db

        My Grandpa used to read and sing to us like that. I wish we had had the foresight to record more than what we did. To my knowledge there’s only one recording of him reciting one of our favorites–and I can’t find it. I have an idea where it is, but I’m going to have to find a cassette deck to play it back and transfer it if I can.

    • Nephilium

      How do you lose at an Irish Whiskey Tasting?

      • Ownbestenemy

        Dont ask….usually cause I am already in too deep by the time the contest happens.

      • Nephilium

        Nope. Need to ask now. You drank Irish Whiskey, in what way do you lose?

        Me and a friend won a bet with a bartender back in the day who thought that we couldn’t tell the difference of the whiskey used in an Irish coffee.

  13. Chafed

    MS you need to explain your scoring system. It sounds like you would have been happy to pour this beer down the drain. Why didn’t it get a 1?

    Also, cool article about NASA. I had no idea things were so out of control.

    • Ownbestenemy

      NASA has lost its goal and then when they get their billions for projects they get to squander it away and blame an ever changing congress and presidential directives.

    • db

      Lest anyone doubt this, House Science Committee Chair Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) took aim at NASA’s commercial space efforts in her opening statement at the hearing. The context of her statement concerns NASA’s desire to purchase commercial services for spaceflight in the future rather than oversee their development in-house like it did with SLS and Orion.

      “I find the sum of these actions to be very troubling,” Johnson said. “And it raises the question of whether NASA will even retain the capabilities and workforce within the agency that will be needed to get US astronauts to Mars if all of these privatization plans are realized.”

      Seems like it’s completely under control, doing exactly what its master want…

    • Ownbestenemy

      That takes me back to when I stepped out onto try outs of the Midget AA team and I had second hand gear against kids that were groomed for hockey since they were 5 and had all the best gear.

      • db

        Superior skill can often out-perform superior equipment.

      • Ownbestenemy

        +1 Mystery Alaska…except they didn’t win…

    • Fourscore

      Couldn’t help but notice Yellow had much narrower tires. Is that a plus or not? I know nothing about moto racing or motos.

      • Tres Cool

        from one of the comments:

        Thomas LeMay
        10 months ago
        Every thing about the #5 is designed and optimized for this track . Not a single ounce of extra anything on the bike or rider. The engine makes the exact amount of power that the tires can handle, the tires are the smallest that can deliver the exact amount of traction needed so they don’t waste power. The frame is no stranger than it needs to be. You get the picture.

        Guessing the guy was also a flat-track racer at some point.

      • Don escaped Texas

        smallest that can deliver the exact amount of traction

        generally, though, the friction is only a function of the materials and the load; all things being equal, the contact patch if I’m reading you right) doesn’t affect the friction

        admittedly, there are issues with heat dissipation and profile/slip-angle that might keep all things from being equal for racing tires on asphalt

  14. DEG

    in aggregate, his office believes NASA will spend $93 billion from 2012 to 2025 on the Artemis program.

    $93 billion? That’s not even real money.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Hell we tossed about 15% of that into a blackhole that is called Ukraine!

      • Tres Cool

        I was going to do 14/93 to get that number but I knocked my beer over. Thanks for enacting my labour.

    • db

      That’s awesome

      • Ownbestenemy

        I mentioned last thread that the past two years have me questioning everything. We have researchers and innovators that are working to make things better and then we have our MIC (medical or military) that want to keep up oppressed and sick.

      • Dr. Fronkensteen

        I had to laugh at my sister. Not a full Branch Covidian but close. Her doctor prescribed her Hydroxychloroquine. Not for Covid.

      • Dr. Fronkensteen

        Sorry needed some for my omelette.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Hearing is my #1 I am okay with losing but watching that, I don’t want even that. We have such an amazing gift as humans with our senses. The loss of one means a bit of joy and love is gone.

    • Grumbletarian

      Horrible! They’re taken her from the deaf community!

      /morons

    • DEG

      🙂

  15. trshmnstr the terrible

    Artemis v. Falcon 9 (Heavy) is probably as favorable a comparison as NASA will get with SpaceX. If Elon only accomplishes 10% of what he wants out of starship, they’ll be cutting the cost by another order of magnitude.

    • Ownbestenemy

      I laughed when Russia claimed they would abandon our astronaut on the ISS. I wouldn’t have laughed a few years ago.

      • Fatty Bolger

        That was really weird.

      • Spudalicious

        “Hey, Elon? Can we get a special?”

  16. Ownbestenemy

    Im in a mood apparently.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBuIGBCF9jc

    I have shown this to my kids. Maybe it got through, maybe it didn’t. However, think, he just said this a few years ago and he would be canceled now.

    • Tres Cool

      Also in the mood.

      • Tres Cool

        That had better not be Glenn Miller. You’re better than that.

      • Tres Cool

        Still my favorite Ray Stevens.

    • Don escaped Texas

      By the time the legislation was in place, though, much of the sense of urgency had disappeared.

      fake news: I’m pretty nothing can be fixed without government

    • db

      The government, however, said Wednesday that it was suspending the mandate at least for now following a report from a commission of health and legal experts. Health Minister Johannes Rauch said the commission will deliver another report within three months and the government will review the situation then.

      “It is time now to use the flexibility of this law,” which allows for the mandate to be suspended, said Karoline Edtstadtler, the minister responsible for constitutional matters.

      “We came to the conclusion that … we will suspend the vaccination mandate, in accordance with proportionality,” she said. “At the moment, many reasons point to this interference with fundamental rights is not justified; at the moment — because of the dominant variant we see here — we don’t see any need to actually implement this vaccination mandate.”

      I’m impressed that they mentioned the fact in bold; but less than impressed that they suggest that a different “variant” might justify canceling “fundamental rights.”

      Think about that. “Fundamental rights” evidently means nothing to these people.

      • Fourscore

        It was OK earlier to suspend individual rights but now it’s over.

        /We’re adults now

  17. Ownbestenemy

    Aint gonna lie… this is perfect music for a Saturday

  18. The Late P Brooks

    Back from the grocery store Walmart. I just paid $61.50 for what I swear would have been about 35 bucks’ worth of groceries 18 months ago.

    And the cashier wanted to see my ID for the beer. Why would store managers go out of their way to piss people off for no good reason? Am I supposed to be flattered? Fuck off with that nonsense, you idjits.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Threat of government is a good motivator.

    • Don escaped Texas

      ID for the beer

      every transaction in TN…..because Republicans love freedom

    • Tres Cool

      Not too long ago, I ran into the same issue at my Kroger. Naturally it was on a day when I left my wallet in the truck since I had shorts on.
      Seems another store in the area had gotten popped for selling to underage, and in light of the fine (I think $30K or something) all the stores in the area were hyper-vigilant.

    • Animal

      A few years before he passed on, the Old Man got carded for a little bottle of wine. He asked the checkout girl to repeat herself. “I need to see your ID,” she said.

      “I’m ninety-one,” he said, getting out his license.

      “I’m sorry,” the girl said. “I’m supposed to ask everyone.”

      “I’m ninety-one,” the Old Man repeated. “I’m a World War Two veteran. I was born in 1923. I’m ninety-one!”

      “I”m sorry.”

      As we left, the Old Man was shaking his head. “Common sense,” he said, “isn’t.”

      • Tres Cool

        For some reason I’m picturing this guy.

    • Toxteth O'Grady

      Vons (Safeway), Trader Joe’s, and CVS I find are lax. Rite Aid policy apparently is to card everyone.

      • Nephilium

        In the long ago, I got carded, and asked to remove my sunglasses to prove my ID was correct. The grey streaks in my beard were apparently a careful ruse I had built up.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Never understood why this bothers people.

      • Nephilium

        Because I obviously was over 21, and wanted to get out of the store?

      • rhywun

        Natural aversion to “authority” demanding I “show papers”.

        Disgust at the lingering Puritanism of the American alcohol regime.

        I’m sure there are others.

  19. The Late P Brooks

    I laughed when Russia claimed they would abandon our astronaut on the ISS. I wouldn’t have laughed a few years ago.

    They can push him out of the airlock, for all I care.

  20. The Late P Brooks

    Think about that. “Fundamental rights” evidently means nothing to these people.

    Fundamental. Fundament. Foundation. That’s just something you walk all over.

  21. Ownbestenemy

    Im gonna commit some sort of ethical violation, but I have an open spot for a position that needs the best and well, my buddy is the best. Favoring him shouldn’t be bad but I will do whatever I can to make sure he gets the position

    • Don escaped Texas

      we need welders

      and I have a nephew who is a brilliant welder

      but is such a garbage person that I know won’t even show for work half the time that I would never mention his name to my worst enemy

      • Ownbestenemy

        He is a friedn for 03-08 military days. He is brilliant and has the drive that I know can work with what I am trying to achieve. Asking him to move a family of 6 is the tough part.

    • mexican sharpshooter

      Know how you feel. I have relatives asking if there are opening at my company. (Nope)

  22. The Late P Brooks

    Seems another store in the area had gotten popped for selling to underage, and in light of the fine (I think $30K or something) all the stores in the area were hyper-vigilant.

    It makes me want to buy a half dozen cases of beer and hand them out at the high school.

    • Hyperion

      They should just back truckloads of kegs with taps on them, up to the dooors and leave them there. Then handout hard liquor and the hardest drugs available. Can you even imagine attending a public school today? That has to be like the worst case of child abuse imaginable.

  23. Hyperion

    Hipster Juice!

    Damn, it’s nasty outside. I was at Whole Foods and I saw so many ditry smelly hipsters that I was practically begging my wife, let’s just go home, it’s getting worse outside. 3 hours later…

  24. Fatty Bolger

    The biggest impediment to getting to the moon is the federal government itself. Stop holding up SpaceX operations in Texas. Cancel every cost plus contract, and stop handing out new ones. Pay for services rendered instead.

    • Hyperion

      The biggest impediment to getting to the moon getting anything done is the federal government.

      FIFY

    • mexican sharpshooter

      Pay for services rendered instead.

      ….but that significantly decreases the avenues for graft?

  25. Tres Cool

    Jugsy has her 2 elephantine friends over, and Im working tonight so I need to get to sleep.

    /kicks rocks

    • Ownbestenemy

      Uh…ya?

      • Tres Cool

        Pics texted to GT for confirmation.

  26. Gustave Lytton

    Well, no luck buying Russian vodka at the liquor store. I pretty sure the state is going to demand that it be dumped down the drain soon. They’re never going to be able to unvirtue signal their way into selling it again.

    • Ownbestenemy

      That is what the TikTok influencers are for. I bet there will be a new “liberty” vodka drink in the next 6mos they will push and demand of Russian vodka will soar.

      • Ownbestenemy

        There are some great Idaho vokdas though

      • rhywun

        tequila gives you a lot of stuff to play with, there’s a palate of flavors that you can use with all different beverages – vodka, it’s just one

        I don’t think they get what the point of vodka is.

      • Name's BEAM. James BEAM.

        Proper ethanol doesn’t have a “flavour,” dammit.

  27. Ownbestenemy

    Neph. When you have your time out if you don’t mind the Uber trip, we’d love to have you over for some homecooked dinner. Id probably smoke some ribs or pork or something.

    • Brochettaward

      I am carrying The First That Will Change Everything which will blend the light and the dark into one wonderful future. Where is my dinner invite?

      Do you people have no shame?

      • Swiss Servator

        Shame. Who knows?

        Taste? Yes.

    • Nephilium

      I’ll run it by the girlfriend, but I don’t see an issue with that. Most likely Sunday or Monday would work best for that while we’re out there.