*Space is for SCIENCE ONLY. Science is the highest form of human endeavor, the perfect occupation. Profit seeking is the lowest, most vile occupation.
*All planets, comets, and asteroids are reserved for science only. To use them for profit would destroy their scientific value.
*All facilities in Space are to be "State owned", or licensed by the State. Total and complete government control is essential to prevent anyone from introducing anything fun, innovative, or profitable into space. After all, we don't want to repeat the mistakes made on Earth. Control has actually become an end in itself, the religion of bureaucracy, progress is the evil to be stamped out.
*All the resources of Space are to be COMMONLY OWNED. The evil of private property must be stamped out.
*Words such as "profit", "private property", and "capitalism", are not to be allowed into Space.
*The government is always right. There are now so many agencies, laws, and regulations, that it is impossible for anyone not to be in violation of something, therefore all citizens are classified as criminals, or at least suspect.
*Terraforming is the holy grail, the idea that with enough government regulations some other planet can be made perfect, unlike the evil Earth.
*And lastly, NASA will provide the chosen few with FREE, SAFE, and RELIABLE, space transportation.
To attain this state of perfection requires of course guidance from on high, in the form of NASA. NASA was originally a response to the soviet space program, but has now taken on the role of the gatekeeper to Space, the controller of American's access to Space, the selector of the elite few who will go into space. This role is unfortunately beneficial to NASA, it keeps investors and competitors out of Space, preserves NASA's monopoly on spaceflight and NASA's budget, and maintains the myth that space is only for heroes.
I propose a different strategy, let's preserve Earth. It is the best planet in the universe. Creating a "World Park" would be a nice touch. Open Space to development, of all kinds. The rest of the solar system is after all just a bunch of lifeless rocks and gases. Use Them, USE THEM UP! Let's take all the industries, mines, corporate farms, capitalists, the poor teeming masses, the racists, the fanatics, the religious zealots, and yes even the Jews and Palestinians (we'll put them next to each other), put them all in Space and just let them run WILD. No terraforming, use the planets as industrial feed stock to build space colonies. Yes, it will be chaotic, and messy, and profitable, and somebody will be doing something illegal, but it will all be away from Earth. On Earth, we can limit the permanent population to park employees, tear up all the highways, the cities and suburbs, fill in the mines, clean up the pollution, and create an over regulated wilderness treasure house of natural diversity, if there can actually be such a thing. It can still be a beautiful planet, ....I'm sure the trillions of people living in space will want to come visit. But with all the regulations, they certainly wouldn't want to live on Earth.
Aeronautics; the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics was the agency that served as the seed from which NASA grew. Responsibility for aeronautical research should be turned over to a reborn NACA.
Space transportation standards should be set by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Earth Sciences; The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration should assume all research activities involving earth observation satellites.
Space astronomy and planetary science projects should be funded and coordinated by the National Science Foundation. Private companies would build and launch the required payloads.
Since the pioneering research flights to the planets are now completed, ongoing studies of the planets can best be carried out under supervision of the NSF.
Manned Space flight Institute (formerly NASA) ; This is all that should be required to fulfill what should be the space agency's primary role of manned exploration of the solar system. No off earth infrastructure other than mission specific spacecraft should be developed. Missions should be primarily supported by private transportation means.
The X-33, single stage to orbit demonstrator, which terminated the privately funded DC-X program.
The X-34, a reusable unmanned launch vehicle.
The X-37, the recently funded single stage to orbit replacement for the space shuttles, which will terminate Lockheed's privately funded Venture Star proposal.
The X-38, a new fly back crew return vehicle for the space station.
EELV 1, EELV 2, EELV 3, three new launch vehicles for the Department of Defense.
The Small Recoverable Launch Vehicle Program, an entirely separate program from the X-34.
The Shuttle derived "Magnum lifter", a recent proposal.
In addition to these programs, Dan Goldin has now proposed an upgrade program for NASA's true love, the Space Shuttle. Goldin said at a Washington based National Space Club meeting that the purpose would be "to take on" the privately funded Lockheed Venture Star, and other commercial expendable rockets. Naturally to get the flight rate up to the required level for this economic miracle to occur, NASA subsidized by the taxpayer, would compete with private industry for U.S. commercial payloads, as well as military payloads.
Goldin now reveals NASA to be the big bully of the U.S. launch industry, satisfied only with a total monopoly of all U.S. launch requirements. Every time private enterprise proposes a new launch vehicle, NASA counters with a proposal of their own scaring away private investment. The foreboding apparition of NASA as America's State Airline for Space has returned. The NASA sycophants can once again line up to kiss the ground that NASA launches from.
This Government policy of holding territory in trust to protect incompetents is very important to anyone who wishes to move into Space. NASA has always made it a point to argue that they are the only competent organization around when it comes to doing anything in Space. It is easy for NASA to consider the citizenry to be incompetents in need of close supervision. The decidedly socialist concept that Space is to be shared by all humankind, read that as "in trust", also lends support to the idea of NASA as the "Indian agent for all humankind". Thus anyone contemplating the move into Space may well run into an attitude of paternalistic oversight by NASA.
Now is the time to declare that WE do not want or need to be protected or coddled by NASA or the Federal Government. We should openly acknowledge the risks involved in space travel. We should never insist on a risk free environment, and never believe the myth of space travel as too complex or too risky for ordinary citizens.
Space should be considered to be open for whoever can find the means of developing the resources that exist there. Property claims should be quickly recognized and limited only by the presumption of the claimant as to their ability to develop the resources. We should take a card from the Indians, and demand Space and our future back.
The origin of the term "Enterprise" is the United Nations Law of the Sea. This ill advised document required that any company desiring to mine the ample resources of the sea floor, must first set up, train, and equip, a government owned and operated competitor, "The Enterprise". Since no private firm can compete with a taxpayer subsidized government agency, this treaty has effectively stopped any development of mining operations on the sea floor. Worse than that, some fool in Washington actually signed the treaty. Humanity has been denied the bounty of the sea floors. By defining it's operations as "The Enterprise", NASA as the United Nations Space Agency, will insure it's total control of all space resources, NASA will own the universe. Who knows, maybe they will let us look, but only if we do not touch.
In 1957 the space age began with the launch of the Soviet Sputnik satellite. Yet unlike aviation, even after forty years, space transportation has yet to be privatized, there is no commercial space transportation industry, only NASA as America's State Airline for Space.
Texas Spacelines Inc. is trying to create a free enterprise space transportation industry. We are building innovative new launch vehicles to provide safe profitable space transportation for America. We have the technology, but no investors. We cannot attract investors to an industry that must compete with our own federal government. No private firm can compete with a government subsidized agency.
In 1986 President Reagan issued an executive order for NASA to get out of the unmanned commercial launch industry, yet today NASA is developing several new unmanned launch vehicles, maintains a monopoly in manned spaceflight, and recently NASA administrator Daniel Goldin publicly stated that he intends to upgrade the Space Shuttles to "take on" the privately proposed Venture Star and other commercial vehicles. Free Enterprise is how we do things in America. The Free Enterprise system works, but not without a commitment from government. To correct this sorry state of affairs, NASA must demonstrate it's commitment to a Free Enterprise space transportation industry. NASA must get out of the "business" of space transportation. That means transferring the Space Shuttles to private industry, which can be done with the proper safeguards and conditions.
Texas Spacelines and other companies want to open the space frontier for America, and provide a limitless benefit to the American people.
NASA's first administrator envisioned NASA's role as a continuation of research in support of industry**, but that was quickly changed by Congress to the operational role of flying human beings to the moon. As an Administration NASA sees it's role as being the caretaker of Space, of providing, directing, and controlling all human activities in Space. Space becomes a Trust, with NASA as the administrator of the Trust taking nominal ownership of Space for our supposed benefit. With the passing of the space race and the need to open the Space frontier to other participants, perhaps the time has come to rename, reorganize, and re charter our government space program. What name would inspire the organization to promote industry while maintaining the current programs of research and exploration?
What name, and what status? This looks like a task for a contest. Send your suggestions for a new name and status (be realistic now) to;
Mark Goll
19785 Marbach Lane
San Antonio, Texas
78266-2136
210 651 6558
markgoll@wt.net
http://web.wt.net/~markgoll
*NASA SP-4306 Engines and Innovation, Lewis Laboratory and American Propulsion Technology.
**The Reluctant Space-Farers, Gibney, Frank B., and Feldman, George J.