perfidy

In a move long hoped for, NASA is taking a serious step towards supporting the growth of the commercial space industry. As I have often argued here, one of the best models for space development would be that of the early commercial aviation industry. In its infancy, commercial aviation was given a crucial boost from the Post Office, which gave contracts for airmail delivery. The Post Office in effect created the first networks of airports and air routes as proto-airlines set up networks to deliver the mail. Thanks to Post Office encouragement, passenger travel grew, following these smae routes. Money from Air Mail contracts also spurred developments in aircraft design, as these companies took advantage of the opportunities made available. The Post Office became a lever that boosted the aviation industry past the first hump of development. Once it was seen that the government believed that aviation was possible, other means of support (like bank loans and other investors) became possible as well.

The golden age of flight was created in part by two outside factors - Air Mail and the collection of prizes for achievements in aviation. We have already seen the positive effect of lever - the Ansari X-prize. There are other prizes already waiting and more being created, and I am convinced that these will prove to be a powerful stimulus as well. This move by NASA puts in place another lever. By offering the modern equivalent of the old Post Office Air Mail contracts, the govenment and NASA will be doing the most useful thing they could possibly do. By underwriting development, they can help private space industry get over the big first hurdle. More to the point, they will do it in a way that (for the first time in NASA history) that development will serve as a platform for further development. In almost fifty years of space travel, we have never made a serious effort to develop a space transportation infrastructure. But now, government money might actually do us some good.

"Traditionally, Uncle Sam has done this many times before," said van der Linden. "Prove it can be done, help business get involved and when business can make money, you step back and everybody benefits."

I am well pleased with NASA.

[wik] Bob van der Linden, the Smithsonian curator mentioned at the end of the article, works with my dad. He's a cool guy, buy his books.

[alsø wik] I was shocked, shocked, that Transterrestrial Musings hadn't already posted on this. I hope to see some commentary on this from him.

[alsø alsø wik] And my being well pleased with NASA is of course predicated on NASA actually following through and actually, you know, spending that money in the way described. However, this is the most concrete statement of this kind I've heard from them, so I actually have some hope. $500 mil is real money. Rutan did SpaceShipOne (I still think that name is seriously lame) for a fraction of that sum. This could do some real good.