How Not to Get on the Wall Street Journal Front Page

This morning, I flipped to the Wall Street Journal to see that both Burt Rutan of Scaled Composites and Jim Benson of SpaceDev made the front page (subscription required), above the fold.  Wow!  It doesn't get any better than being front and center in the second biggest newspaper in the United States.

Unfortunately, the article is about a very public feud between the two regarding who built the engines for SpaceShipOne.  At times over the last couple of years, Burt Rutan has been dismissive of SpaceDev's contribution.  Even if Rutan is correct in the details of the feud, this isn't the way to make the WSJ front page!  And even if SpaceDev didn't deliver on the engines and Scaled Composites had to redesign the engines for them to work as hoped -- as seems quite possible -- then Rutan just should have let SpaceDev gain a negative reputation in the industry of its own accord.

Some things are better left unsaid publicly.

Comments

[Zetetic]

"And even if SpaceDev didn't deliver on the engines and Scaled Composites had to redesign the engines for them to work as hoped -- as seems quite possible -- then Rutan just should have let SpaceDev gain a negative reputation in the industry of its own accord."

Wow! I wonder where in the "feud" you gleaned that information. The problems between these two arise strictly from an issue of due credit. Each wants to take a bit more than they may appropriately deserve. Redesign the engines? From what i know about the project, SpaceDev provided a propulsion system which performed far in excess of what Scaled asked for in their original RFP. This tuning had nothing to do with the motor case, nozzle or oxidizer tank - the components i understand Rutan should rightfully take credit for, and everything to do with the other elements which SpaceDev developed.

[Daniel Schmelzer]

I don't know that the feud arises strictly from an issue of due credit. I have no information to confirm that fact (and have heard insinuations otherwise), and frankly don't really care. I have no dog in this fight and think it's ridiculous besides.

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