Why is NASA spending billions of dollars on an old tech exploration vehicle (sls), when they could save billions by collaborating with private companies such a Spacex.

Okay so this is something I've been wondering for a little while now.

Why is NASA spending so much money on the sls, which among other things, will take humans to Mars and beyond.

Why don't they use that money instead to collaborate with Spacex on their Mars plan and use falcon heavy for other exploration missions.

Apologies if I come across as naive, but I not very well versed on the subject and I can't seem to find this information anywhere else. It just seems counter intuitive to waste so much money on a project using old tech, when you have a private company with similar goals and better tech who could fulfil your aspirations at a fraction of the cost.

Submitted July 28, 2016 at 08:46AM by Danieldmc1 http://ift.tt/2a1YQli