August 7, 2009
NASA’s Office of the Future
Interstellar travel won't just happen by itself, you know.
NASA used to have a research institute—a tiny one—that funded scientists and engineers to develop far-out ideas, stuff that was still 40 years in the future, or well beyond the horizon of the current space station or even the proposed moonbase. The NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts was among the coolest things going at the space agency, and it cost a measly $4 million a year, or less than what the Marshall Space Flight Center will spend next year to replace the asbestos siding on a single building. Nevertheless, the Institute was shut down in 2007, presumably to save money.
The National Research Council wants it back. In a report released today, the NRC suggests that a “NIAC 2″ be created based on the old institute, which, it turns out, did a pretty good job of incubating ideas like antimatter propulsion, biologically-inspired robots, and other visionary proposals (see the full list of funded studies here).
This time around, the NRC recommends that the institute foster near-term projects as well as the longer-range ideas, to better connect with NASA’s immediate needs. I’d be surprised if Congress (which requested the report) doesn’t order the NIAC to be reinstated, and well it should. A space agency has got to dream.
If NASA really wants some vision, they need to consider ALL Americans regardless of where they reside and give them a chance over the long term to demonstrate their great ideas.
The best and brightest are not just on facebook or twitter. NASA needs to look for people who were active prior to 1998.
In the 60′s and 70′s companies doing business with NASA for the Space Shuttle and earlier programs when they were in their infancy, were allowed to brainstorm and try wild ideas just to see if there was any merit. We need to return to those times. The people who belong in those jobs are NOT currently in our high tech companies or universities. Most are either retired, unemployed or sitting in McDonald’s restaurants drinking senior coffee. They are still bright-eyed visionaries, just a little bit older.
Comment by Norm — August 7, 2009 @ 6:30 pm
In the government’s defense, I saw alot of supposely far out ideas tested through the federal research grant system. The whole revolution of genetic engineering was built upon an obscure set of bacterial enzymes. There are new forces in place that will spur on deep space exploration, global space cooperatives, space entrepreneurs and alternative power and sustainability initiatives which will come together as a result of some wild ideas. Have faith in the creativity of individuals around the world and their wild ideas.
Comment by David Millinoff — August 9, 2009 @ 1:43 pm