It might either shut them up or add to the pressure… but then, someone politically visible is in the loop (or the hot seat, as the case may be).

I am reminded of an incident during the cold war, maybe fifteen or twenty years ago, when a Soviet pilot defected to the west flying their latest and greatest jet fighter. This particular aircraft was supposed to be as good as or better than anything in the American arsenal.

Imagine the surprise of our military to discover that while our fighter had advanced avionics, better armament and safety, plus titanium wings, the Soviet jet was made of steel. It was ordinary, with limited sophistication. In fact, the wings were already pitted by the weather. But, it flew fast and well eneough, despite a shorter life span.

That’s when I learned a lesson about getting the job done. It doesn’t take the latest and greatest with all the safety features and bells and whistles and colors as long as it can do the job.

What NASA needs to redefine is the job — getting astronauts and supplies to and from a space station and Hubble safely. And if it can’t do it fast or cheap enough, outsourcing to the private sector is probably the best idea around.