[M_Six]

I did a 10 week internship at NASA (Johnson Space Center) back in '96. I worked for a "NASA" scientist who was employed by Rockwell, as most of them were. The difference between NASA scientists then and Space-X is that NASA does a shitload of research in many, many areas, whereas Space-X is focused on getting their launch vehicles to work consistently and cheaply enough to turn a profit. Nothing wrong with that, but comparing the two is sort of apples to oranges. And to be honest, when Space-X screws up and blows up a rocket, it's passed off as no big deal. Better luck next time. NASA blows up a rocket and heads are going to roll.

Not saying there isn't waste at NASA, but there is a vastly different approach in how they accomplish a much more varied mission.