The rise and fall of NASA

NASA mobilized 200,000 people across thousands of companies with a clear mission: beat the Soviets to the moon. Engineers in their 20s and 30s ran mission control with competence and aggression, landing on the moon with under 30 seconds of fuel.

Kennedy's moon mission was never about space exploration—it was about beating Russia. Once achieved, no new inspiring goal replaced it. The organization optimized for political survival instead of engineering excellence. Cost-plus contracts rewarded spending, not efficiency. Managers overruled engineers on safety.

SpaceX launches more rockets per month than NASA per year. The ISS sunsets in 2030. NASA's SLS costs $4B per disposable launch while SpaceX reusable rockets cost a fraction. The agency became a jobs program, not an engineering powerhouse.