Comments on: Space Program vs. Space Commerce

By: Next Step or No Step | The Once and Future Moon

Next Step or No Step | The Once and Future Moon — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:35:42 +0000

[...] claims about “exciting the public” with a human Mars mission, regardless of their veracity (which is doubtful), do not translate into higher budgets for NASA. To go to Mars using existing technology, with an [...]

By: Thomas Matula

Thomas Matula — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 23:21:06 +0000

Paul,

I agree. What is needed now is not a new NASA program, subject to all the political whims that buffet NASA constantly, but a public/private partnership outside of NASA. One that would stay focused on infrastructure and sustainability.

By: Warren Platts

Warren Platts — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 17:43:11 +0000

Good points Paul. Probably Americans were more ambivalent about the Moon Shot than the rest of the world. One need look no further than that classic Gil Scott Heron tune for evidence of that!

Just found your blog today, sir. It’s awesome! Keep up the good work!

PS: We need to get you on coasttocoastam!

By: Frediiiie

Frediiiie — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 04:02:15 +0000

Exactly right.
Nobody cares about the airline. It’s all about were it takes you.
Apollo was great, but what we need now is a dull, boring, flight-now-boarding-at-gate-nine, spaceline.

By: Bill Hensley

Bill Hensley — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:13:48 +0000

The problem today is that people don’t just complain about the government “wasting” its money on space travel, they even complain when private citizens “waste” their money on space travel. The argument is, how dare you spend large sums of money on frivolous pursuits when we haven’t solved [global warming, world hunger, HIV/AIDS, universal healthcare...pick your favorite crisis]. I think these people are being hypocritical, but I’m not likely to convince them of that. (Let’s see, did you go to a movie in the past year? Why didn’t you donate that $10 to Greenpeace?)

The bottom line is those who want to go to space are going to have to do it in spite of the naysayers. That crowd isn’t going away, no matter how much the private sector accomplishes. They simply have different values (and a faulty set of economic principles, too).