NASA investigation finds Boeing hindering Americans' return to moon

Inspector General report & SLS Block 1B

• Commenters link the NASA OIG report on SLS Block 1B, noting major cost growth for the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS): from under $1B originally to an estimated $2.8B by Artemis IV in 2028.
• The report cites Boeing’s mismanagement, schedule slips, and disapproved Earned Value Management System, plus specific technical failures (e.g., substandard welds causing long delays).

Contracting models & perverse incentives

• Many argue cost‑plus and weak penalties reward delay and overruns; contractors get paid more by slipping schedules.
• Others note NASA has shifted some work (e.g., crew vehicles) to fixed‑price, which has led Boeing to incur large losses and complain it “can’t make money” that way.
• There is concern NASA still resists financial penalties for quality failures and struggles to move legacy SLS work to fixed‑price terms.

Boeing’s performance and culture

• Boeing is portrayed as suffering from hollowed‑out engineering culture, underpaying skilled staff, and over‑emphasis on finance and shareholder value.
• Some link the decline to broader U.S. “financialization” and MBA‑driven management; others warn that focusing blame only on executives oversimplifies systemic problems.

NASA, Congress, and pork

• Several comments contend SLS exists primarily as a jobs program (“Senate Launch System”), with work deliberately spread across many districts and states.
• Congress is seen as the main force keeping SLS alive despite cost and schedule failures; NASA’s room to cancel or radically redesign is described as limited.

Workforce, welders, and location

• The OIG and commenters highlight a shortage of highly skilled aerospace welders and technicians at Michoud, attributed to low pay versus other local industries and to New Orleans location.
• Debate ensues over how rare and well‑paid expert welders actually are, but there is agreement that aerospace‑grade welding is highly specialized and expensive when done properly.

SpaceX and alternatives

• Many argue NASA should pivot harder to fixed‑price “new space” providers (SpaceX, Rocket Lab, Blue Origin, Stoke, etc.), while others warn against creating a SpaceX monopoly.
• SpaceX’s track record beyond low Earth orbit and its Starship‑based Human Landing System are discussed with both optimism and technical skepticism.

Broader reflections

• Thread widens into concerns about U.S. decline (Artemis vs Apollo), government capture by contractors, and whether the U.S. will realistically land astronauts on the Moon in the near term.