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Former SR-71 engineer talks NASA's Blackbird revival program

110 points · 76 comments · rkagerer

  1. whatever1 · · focus · HN ↗
    I wonder for such abandoned projects with non existent supply chain/know-how/documentation, whether there is any benefit of trying to revive them instead of starting from scratch.
    1. walrus01 · · focus · HN ↗
      I would bet good money it's one of two things:

      a) Some clearly preposterous order that originated with the demented commander in chief, and they're just going through the motions. Same concept as ordering steam catapults put back on aircraft carriers.

      or

      b) Intentional misdirect/bait to send various groups of people off in a wrong direction as cover for something else entirely.

      1. ahelwer · · focus · HN ↗
        Unfortunately you might be out your good money, as the more plausible explanation is that current NASA administrator Jared Isaacman loves restoring &amp; flying old airplanes (see <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Draken_International" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Draken_International) and who wouldn&#x27;t love restoring something as iconic as the SR-71?
        1. johnnyApplePRNG · · focus · HN ↗
          What a waste of extremely limited resources at NASA, then.

          The administrator just wants to fly it around? Seriously?

          What a joke.

          1. anon48293 · · focus · HN ↗
            I feel like passion projects can be worth it. You’d want passion, and to attract people who want to work on cool stuff and do difficult or impossible things just because they’re hard or fun.
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