Originally Posted by
WillowRun 6-3
Well, just a moment. The VP's role w.r.t. the National Space Council has been nothing more than reading agenda notes and scripts of blandishments and platitudes during the few meetings that have taken place. She has not initiated policymaking and does not have any significant experience with, or knowledge of, space policy matters at, really, any level, let alone the level of the White House.
Certainly a disaster with Starliner .... and thank goodness NASA has made the right call here ..... would be nearly certain to cause the docile press establishment to consider tossing more insistent questions at the VP, based on the superficial relevance of her chairing the Council. But the Council has had no role in this decision-making (or if it has, it has been kept very far off-camera and out of sight).
Yes political factors breed cynicism (this SLF/attorney included). But the NASA Administrator, despite having been a Senator (or maybe because of it) has been a straight-shooter throughout his tenure and in this difficult situation, imo. If returning two NASA Astronauts on the Boeing spacecraft had turned out to be the right call, nothing about the VP or her nomination or campaign would have mattered.
You underestimate the capability of oppo, which would be all over this if anything went wrong, translating "association" into "management responsibility." This has already been in the press, with no particular traction.
But anyway, we should be all good now, regardless. Even if Starliner is unable to upgrade its software, or unable to undock, or goes haywire and becomes orbiting junk, or burns up on reentry, that's just another bad day for Boeing, not NASA.