SEDS Forums

NASA has had some of the most spectacular successes over its history in regard to space exploration, but is it possible that this government agency is in fact hindering the advancement of humanity into the solar system? It is a well known fact that NASA is a money pit, with billions of tax dollars sunk into it every year with an unacceptable margin of error. Its development costs are incredibly inefficient due to the fact that all cost are covered by the government. The cost of lifting gross tonnage into orbit would be unacceptable to any profit-based business. The privatization of the space industry would be the ideal solution to this problem.

For example, look at the rapid expansion of the United States, or Victorian England, during the 19th century. These remarkable feats were accomplished as a result of entrepreneurial genius as well as technological advances. In this current age of unparalleled breakthroughs in electronics as well as nanotechnology, it would seem that a profit-based space exploration and/or colonization organization would have more than sufficient motivation to invest in small-scale (and eventually large-scale) space missions.

Obviously this process has already started with the X-Prize and other similar contests. Is the next probable step the abolishment of a wasteful, government run organization that receives continual bail-outs (similar to those of the airline industry) at the expense of the average taxpayer?

While commerical space could do alot of the same things NASA does at a fraction of the cost, there are certain things that NASA does that would not get funded by private industry such as science for science's sake (basically anything outside of the Earth/Moon system).

NASA needs to get out of its current role as a workhorse to LEO and lead us to new frontiers instead of developing the existing ones.

Seems to me we would do a lot more science in space if we were living/working there. NASA should really focus on fostering technology exchange to entrepreneurs who will use space to improve our economy through tourism, energy generation, and mining of raw materials. Once markets are proven money will flow and learning about our celestial neighbors will be inevitable. Fortunately, NASA seems to be moving in that direction.

SpaceDev's Dream Chaser being an excellent example.

My quick reply to the teaser; Is NASA a detriment to space exploration? is:

NASA is not a detriment to space exploration because the body serves as a spring board for many space explorers and astronomers of which I have benefited a lot from their materials, publications,websites etc.

However, if you are asking for opinions/suggestions how to make it more viable and profit oriented is a different thing entirely. My advice is that people should not treat government establishments as no man's business because we are the government even when there is a representatative system.

NASA is good and with honest committment to duty, we will go higher places in space technology and commercialisation.

Thank you and remain blessed,
Imo O. Uche

NASA is a welcomed development because they do not hoard knowledge as far as new technologies in space exploration and administration is concerned.

The huge amount being allocated to them through budget is not a waste by any means because space technology is very costly to acquire/transfer. At the same time, space technology is not simply borne out of profit motives because many [countries] cannot afford it ------ the material and human resources involed.

Finally, as far as astronomy is concerned, which is the study of Heavens, is only people of integrity,honesty and godly that can delve into it.

Let us walk together and encourage other bodies in space exploration.

All is well,
Imo O. Uche:cool:

What if NASA was using its space technologies to help design and create waste management system with the goal to reuse all of the materials previously created. Could you imagine if we no longer needed to create new plastics, rubbers, or any other raw material again. This would cut production waste and pollution, and stop the growth of our land fills. This would be an excellent way to spend our hard earned tax money. I've once heard that NASA has been provided these funds for so long because outer space technologies and advancements are whats going to save us when we have to leave earth. This seems ridiculous, almost like the government has realized the our planet has reached the point of no return and we must move on. If NASA invested the time and money towards cleansing our environments and habitats then we wouldn't have to prepare for an escape. Sorry if this is to much of a tangent from the original post's point.


Countysky
high speed satellite internet