Re: Death Sentence for the Hubble?

From: Eric Chomko (echomko_at__at_polaris.umuc.edu)
Date: 03/23/05 

Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2005 20:56:28 +0000 (UTC)

Jeff Findley (jeff.findley@ugs.nojunk.com) wrote:

: "Eric Chomko" <echomko_at_@polaris.umuc.edu> wrote in message
: news:d1qptf$2th5$1@news.ums.edu...
: > The problem there now with
: > manned spaceflight is that all SS1 has done was to mimic Alan Shepard's
: > maiden voyage. Why should NASA award anything for a John Glenn-type flight
: > given that John Glenn has already orbitted the earth?!

: SS1 did it with private funding that was orders of magnitude smaller than
: the funding that paid for Mercury-Redstone.

Right but 43 years later! Given the time/value of money in a reverse
manner Mercury was a bargain. Another way of looking at it is the cost of
Mercury 43 years ago as compared to waiting to get the savings of SS1
isn't worth it timewise.

: > : Following that X-Prize, you offer a Z-Prize of another $1 billion for
: the
: > : first private craft to successfully dock with ISS.
: >
: > I'd support that. How do you get the ball rolling?

: Start lobbying congress.

You want to have the government do it?! I thought you wanted the
government out of it?! Have the government tell itself to stay out of
space for the good of the industry. IS THAT the message?!

: > : Even before the Z-Prize is won, you offer a government contract for the
: > : transportation of people and cargo to ISS. The fee for these flights
: are
: > : payable upon successful completion of each mission. You guarantee a
: minimum
: > : of 6 successful flight fees per year to ISS for each company that can
: > : provide this service, with up to a maximum of three launch companies
: > : (minimum 18 flights per year).
: >
: > : Certainly this isn't the most thought through plan, but you get the
: general
: > : picture. You stimulate the development of a private craft through
: prizes
: > : and the guarantee of contracts that will provide these companies with a
: > : steady income once they have developed a craft that does something
: "useful".
: > : I'd argue that getting people and cargo to/from ISS is as good as the
: > : historical example of the US government paying private companies to
: deliver
: > : air mail.
: >
: > Prizes are good, but I'd be reluctant to stifle NASA as well. Why not
: > both?

: Because we don't want NASA to be in competition with the private companies
: we're trying to stimulate.

Squelching competition, regardless of where it comes from, is the
antithesis of industry. Somewhere your plan is lacking substance and puts
a scapegoat unto the government for a fledgling industry that is lacking
direction.

: In fact, if NASA didn't have any manned access to space and was allowed only
: to buy launches from the lowest bidding private companies, you'd actually
: see NASA trying to help these small companies make their vehicles better.
: No direct funding would be allowed, but NASA would be allowed (required) to
: transfer technology to private companies that would make their vehicles
: cheaper and safer.

Perhaps the manner in which 8-A firms win contracts is what you are
looking for WRT getting small companies in the door for launches?

: I know this idea is unpopular with the "space groupies" who would like
: nothing better than to keep the shuttle flying forever, but if we really
: want to privatize access to space, we simply can't have NASA keep running
: their own programs in direct competition with the startups.

NASA would love to use the startups. But what have the startups provided?
I still think you feel that the industry would be further along if NASA
didn't exist. There is no evidence of that. If NASA wasn't going into
space then no one would be going into space in the US. The commercial
space industry is where it is because THAT is where it is, not because
something is in the way preventing them from developing their products.
And developing their products for exactly whom if NASA wasn't around?

Eric

: Jeff
: --
: Remove icky phrase from email address to get a valid address.

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