Should NASA's Future Be Outsourced?

cygo
Science Freak
cygo's picture
Posts: 144
Joined: 2010-09-10
User is offlineOffline
Should NASA's Future Be Outsourced?


The bitter Congressional battle with the White House over NASA seemed to reach an end of sorts last week when Congress passed the Senate version of the NASA reauthorization bill. But the struggle over the future of the government space agency continues as some lawmakers dig in deeper to oppose the very concept of outsourcing NASA's work to the rapidly growing U.S. private space flight industry.=

 

www.capitolnewsconnection.org/podcast/power-breakfast/passage-final-nasa-bill-starts-debate-anew-should-nasas-future-be-outsourced


Answers in Gene...
High Level Donor
Answers in Gene Simmons's picture
Posts: 4214
Joined: 2008-11-11
User is offlineOffline
Fixored your link for you.

Fixored your link for you.

NoMoreCrazyPeople wrote:
Never ever did I say enything about free, I said "free."

=


Answers in Gene...
High Level Donor
Answers in Gene Simmons's picture
Posts: 4214
Joined: 2008-11-11
User is offlineOffline
 Well, in general I would

 

Well, in general I would say no. However, there are probably some specific things that they need to be looking at.

 

For example, it has been half a century or so now, and we are still stuck with the idea that space is so expensive and hard to get to that only corporate giants can ever get there. When a few members of the military industrial complex control access to space and hold it for the like of Motorola so that they can sell us more telephones, this is a problem.

 

Today, the Ansari Foundation offers prizes of large amounts of cash to those who will work to break the strangle hold on space that is Lockheed Martin/NASA/The Russians/etc... How is it not a problem when Burt Rutan can do twice what NASA managed is half the time for a tenth of the cash?

 

Too bad he got tripped into bed with Virgin Galatic and their “joy rides for billionaires” space program.

 

What we really need at this point is to take the new technology and use it for the everyday transportation industry. Make a flight from New Youk to Hong Kong that takes two hours and has about forty minutes of free fall. Sell those seats for what they really cost and let the economy of scale take over.

 

When you take one of those flights and half way there, you have to rendevous with another vehicle that is not intended to land but rather dips down out of orbit every couple of days to drop off returning space workers and replace them with fresh crews, well, then space will not be the thing that is far away and too expensive for mere men.

NoMoreCrazyPeople wrote:
Never ever did I say enything about free, I said "free."

=


cygo
Science Freak
cygo's picture
Posts: 144
Joined: 2010-09-10
User is offlineOffline
Industrialization may be the push

Industrialization may be the push we need and oversight is there to protect people somewhat from some monetary frenzy or irrational gold rush gone awry.

 

Licenses & Permits: Commercial Space Transportation

  • Print
  • |  Updated: 4:16 pm ET September 3, 2010

The FAA issues a commercial space transportation license or experimental permit when we determine that your launch or reentry proposal, your proposal to operate a launch or reentry site, or your proposal to test equipment, design or operating techniques will not jeopardize public health and safety, property, U.S. national security or foreign policy interests, or international obligations of the United States.

Launch or Reentry Vehicles

Launch Site

Experimental Permits for Reusable Suborbital Rockets