Op-ed | America’s future in space is both commercial and traditional

[Elderberry]

Space News by Greg Autry — August 3, 2017

I recently had the opportunity to participate in a great panel session discussing the role of commercial space in returning America to the moon. The panel was part of the International Space Development Conference, hosted by the National Space Society. The NSS crowd was enthusiastic and clearly many of them were excited by the visions of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and other NewSpace entrepreneurs. I share that enthusiasm and look forward to an active future in space that only a truly competitive market can bring. However, my recent service on President Donald Trump’s transition team at NASA has led me to understand that treating space policy as though it were a team sport will not get us there. The future is complex and challenging and we will need the amazing capabilities and scale of the traditional players to get there. In that spirit, I’d like to offer some unsolicited advice to friends in both camps.

It’s great that NASA appears to be surviving this year’s government budget cutting unscathed. The House Appropriations Committee in July recommended a nearly $19.9 billion budget for NASA for 2018, about $800 million more than the Trump administration requested and nearly $300 million more than Congress approved for 2017.

Assuming NASA ultimately gets the $19.9 billion, that isn’t the sort of increase that will take us back to the moon and get us to Mars via traditional methods. Doing bigger and bolder things with nominally fixed NASA budgets will require greater use of commercial tools like Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements and milestone-based prizes. The Trump administration clearly recognizes that and has called for sustaining America’s leadership in space via public-private partnerships.

More: http://spacenews.com/op-ed-americas-future-in-space-is-both-commercial-and-traditional/

[kevindavis007]

I think had Hillary won, our future in space would have been worse... I remember NASA under the Clinton years. The manned space program was almost shutdown.





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[Cripplecreek]

I think had Hillary won, our future in space would have been worse... I remember NASA under the Clinton years. The manned space program was almost shutdown.

Space travel is the one place where Trump's massive ego is an actual advantage as long as the scientists and engineers remain in control.

[sneakypete]

I think had Hillary won, our future in space would have been worse... I remember NASA under the Clinton years. The manned space program was almost shutdown.

Space travel is the one place where Trump's massive ego is an actual advantage as long as the scientists and engineers remain in control.

@Cripplecreek

It is just impossible for you to say anything about Trump without dumping on him,isn't it?

It was either him or Hillary,so you must prefer Hillary.

[Oceander]

@Cripplecreek

It is just impossible for you to say anything about Trump without dumping on him,isn't it?

It was either him or Hillary,so you must prefer Hillary.

Do you even bother reading what you're responding to, or is it just Pavlovian conditioning based on a posters name?

[dfwgator]

I think had Hillary won, our future in space would have been worse... I remember NASA under the Clinton years. The manned space program was almost shutdown.
 

Under Hillary, if you wanted to go into space you'd better be either Muslim or Gay.

[sneakypete]

Do you even bother reading what you're responding to, or is it just Pavlovian conditioning based on a posters name?

@Oceander

Do YOU bother reading the post I was responding to?

Or maybe you think "massive ego" is a complement?

[sneakypete]

Under Hillary, if you wanted to go into space you'd better be either Muslim or Gay.

@dfwgator

I think you have it backwards. Why would she want to send her base off-planet?

I think it would be white conservatives she would send into space,and it would be mandatory,not voluntary.

Black and brown conservatives she would just have shot.

[Joe Wooten]

I think had Hillary won, our future in space would have been worse... I remember NASA under the Clinton years. The manned space program was almost shutdown.

Space travel is the one place where Trump's massive ego is an actual advantage as long as the scientists and engineers remain in control.

The scientists and engineers have not been in control of the space program since about 1968. The bureaucrats got firm control of NASA and have never let go since then.