Thread

NASA asked several former SR-71A staffers to help secret restart

327 points · 403 comments · ilamont

buildsjets · 1790728280 · focus · HN ↗
NASA (Specifically, hotshot NASA administrator Jared Isaacman) is fixing to kill themselves some pilots.
Trivia, SR71 backseater Colonel Robert J. Roetcisender, RIP, on the right in the image below, was the designated pilot examiner who did my private pilot checkride many many years ago. It was pretty intimidating. All he asked is that I make the flight as boring as possible.
<a href="https://www.blackbirds.net/sr71/sr-crew-photos/SR71-crews/daubs-roetcisoender.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.blackbirds.net/sr71/sr-crew-photos/SR71-crews/da...
1. bigyabai · 1790731435 · focus · HN ↗
  Generations of aviation enthusiasts will look back on the legendary risk management of NASA and wonder how it was entrusted to a MiG-29 aerobatics pilot.
  1. dboreham · 1790731718 · focus · HN ↗
    This doesn't make much sense. NASA famously has killed two shuttle crews through bean-counter/suits mis-management. Why would having someone who has flown to space (twice) and both flies and manages the maintenance and restoration of fast jets be worse?
    bigyabai · 1790732268 · focus · HN ↗
    Kash Patel might have experience hiding his alcohol abuse and taxpayer-funded vacationing, but that doesn't qualify him as an espionage expert fit to lead the FBI. NASA's problems are funding-related, nobody ever looked at JPL and said that they needed a airshow pilot or astronaut in order to stop the layoffs.
    Issacman is another in a long line of blatantly political appointments that were installed to prevent actual national progress. He doesn't hide his conflict of interests, regardless of how seriously he might take the position.
    isatty · 1790750941 · focus · HN ↗
    Your reply provides no factual evidence to your claims on Issacman.
    bigyabai · 1790800181 · focus · HN ↗
    You can watch his confirmation hearings for free online. It's on YouTube.
    During them, Issacman refuses to answer multiple questions that are intended to clarify his private relationship with NASA contractors.
    dboreham · 1790777331 · focus · HN ↗
    What conflicts of interest? Why would installing someone with some flare for showmanship be a bad thing if the issue is funding?
    bigyabai · 1790800202 · focus · HN ↗
    > What conflicts of interest?
    The famous one that the Senate grilled him over, during his confirmation hearing: <a href="https://rollcall.com/2025/12/03/nasa-nominee-denies-conflict-of-interest-with-musk/" rel="nofollow">https://rollcall.com/2025/12/03/nasa-nominee-denies-conflict...
    Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., questioned Isaacman about whether Musk was present during Isaacman’s discussions with Trump about his nomination. Isaacman said there were “dozens of people moving in and out.” “You’re refusing to tell us whether or not Elon Musk was in the room that day,” Markey said. “That makes me think that Elon Musk actually was in the room that day, that you understand that’s a clear conflict of interest.”
    > Why would installing someone with some flare for showmanship be a bad thing if the issue is funding?
    Because the issue is still funding-related. You wouldn't be restoring a half-century old SR-71 if you had the money to make a cleansheet design. NASA is being sandbagged by their own contractors.
2. bpodgursky · 1790743558 · focus · HN ↗
  There is a reasonably high chance Jared Isaacman will try to fly this himself.
  1. lexicality · 1790754475 · focus · HN ↗
    I mean... Whomst Amongus wouldn't?

Open on Hacker News to reply ↗

Unofficial Hacker News client; not affiliated with Y Combinator.