NASA MISSION
To advance and communicate scientific knowledge and understanding of the Earth, the solar system, and the universe and use the environment of space for research.
To explore, use, and enable the development of space for human enterprise.
To research, develop, verify, and transfer advanced aeronautics, space, and related technologies.
There's also a great deal of documentation behind this mission statement. What's interesting about their mission statement is what's missing.
Nothing is said about supporting the establishment of a private commercial free enterprise manned space transportation industry. NASA views themselves as the only means of access to Space.
Nothing is said about colonizing space. In NASA's view Space belongs to NASA, civilians have no place there.
Nothing is said about private property in Space, Space belongs to "all humankind" with NASA as the trustee.
If you read through all the goals, plans and projections, you wind up with a vision of NASA as "America's State Airline for Space", with NASA in secure control of all access, research and development in Space. The NASA mission statement is a declaration of monopoly by NASA to the world. Ordinary humans have no place in NASA's universe.
Of course any manned mission to Mars will have to wait until the Space Station is finished. Dr. Humboldt noted that the International Space Station has become a credibility issue for NASA. Unfortunately that means that NASA is willing to gut the entire space science program to finish the station. Delays by the Russians has recently forced NASA to seek approval from Congress to transfer even more funds from space science to station construction.
If and when the station is completed, Mars will be sold to Congress as a follow on at the same budget level. In other words, Mars is now viewed by NASA as a "funding continuity vehicle". The question is, Is NASA interested in real science or just in maintaining a budget? Will Mars become a political goal like the Moon, resulting in a few foot prints on another dead world and another box of useless rocks?
Are we going to throw away the chance to investigate the possibility of finding life on such moons as Europa or Titan?
The recent movie Titanic illustrates the fallacy of this attitude. They didn't put enough lifeboats on the Titanic because they thought it would never sink. Even after the ship had hit the iceberg, people refused to get into the lifeboats because they were sure that the ship could not sink. Earth is the Titanic, and we don't even have a single lifeboat. Even though most people will tell you that they support the "space program" they really don't know or care what is going on in Space. Space is a zero on the news horizon, people don't want to hear anything about Space. People in the space community keep saying that we need to move off planet, but no one listens. The problem is that you don't get a second chance with extinction, and somewhere out in space is a big iceberg with our name on it. Maybe if a 200 foot rock landed in Nevada and left a five mile diameter hole in the desert it would get our attention.
The summer of 1998 was the hottest on record. Sort of makes you worry about which side is right in the global warming debate. I hope the oceans don't come to a boil before the government decides to take action.
I can remember when there were only three billion people on the Earth. When there were four billion it seemed like a big deal, then five arrived and all too quickly six. The big problem is that they all want to live like us, and they are willing to destroy the planet to get there.
Hopefully we have the nuclear genie back in the bottle, but biological weapons are going to be a huge threat, and any lab can come up with the doomsday bug. We are after all the first species able to extinct itself.
Then there is the thing you least expect. Mother nature has a thing about surprises, especially when it comes to extinction.
The conclusion of all this is that there is a small window for humanity to make Space a viable place to live. We don't have a lot of time for NASA to study the problem. We need to open the space frontier now. Until there are humans living in Space, our species is going to become extinct. That is a certainty.
1903 - 1953, 50 years, the time it took to have one million passengers a year crossing the United States.
1961 - ????, to equal the progress in aviation, space transportation must carry one million passengers to Earth orbit in the year 2011. NASA has planned that they will still be flying the same four Space Shuttles to orbit eight times a year till the year 2012. That means that 125,000 people will have to be on each shuttle!
Our perception of Space is profoundly affected by the fact that NASA has functioned as America's State Airline for Space for the past thirty years. We view Space and what we will do in Space through NASA colored glasses. Space exploration, the commercialization of Space, even the concept of colonizing Mars are all products of the NASA bureauracys view of Space. A recent public opinion survey asked citizens to rate the effectiveness of the federal government in areas which were considered to be the "federal domain". Space was one of the areas rated, with a value of 85% effectiveness. From the point of view of this space activist, the important facts are that; Space is perceived as a federal domain, and that most citizens have become so complacent about Space that they consider NASA's poor performance to be sufficient. NASA is of course content with the situation, because it supports a secure budget. For NASA, Space will continue as the domain of science only. It also means that NASA has cut itself off from the public, the public has abandoned the hope of having a future in Space. This is a dead end, support for Space is now one hundred kilometers wide, but only one micron deep. Congress could cut off the space program tomorrow with very little public comment.
If we are to have a future in Space, we must rekindle within each person the idea that they have a personal involvement in Space. We must make them a little discontent with what they are, and very optimistic about what they could become. We must make them mad enough about NASA, that they will reclaim their future in Space. We must inform them that NASA is the problem, that they do not have a future in Space if they continue to support NASA. We must paint NASA as the villain. At the same time, the establishment of a private commercial free enterprise space transportation industry must be seen as the key to every individuals dream of a utopian future in Space. The NASA colored glasses must be removed, and a clearer truer perception of humanity's future in Space must be substituted. Perceptions can be changed, they must be if humanity is to have a future in Space. Space is intended for humanity, not NASA.
Gemini - Working in Space. A program to develop rendezvous, docking, and EVA technology.
Apollo - To the Moon. Putting it all together to explore Space.
NASA had a well planned progression of steps into Space, but Nixon's ruthless cancellation of the Apollo Moon missions caused NASA to abandon space exploration, to seek instead the Space Shuttle and a secure budget as "America's State Airline for Space". If NASA had fostered the growth of a free enterprise space transportation industry, where would we be now, and what would be our future.
Lunar bases - Moving ahead of growing commercial space industries, NASA would have established Lunar bases. Low Earth Orbit and Lunar settlements would be Earth's front porch to the solar system.
Mars - Explorations would have either revealed the planet to be a living world or opened it to human civilization.
The Asteroids, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto - The science and material wealth of the outer planets and their moons would have been available to human expansion into the solar system.
Mercury, Venus - The inner solar system would be a rich source of energy and materials. Venus would be a challenge to humanity's ingenuity.
Deep Space - TAU (Thousand Astronomical Unit) a mission to place space astronomy payloads 93,000,000,000 miles from the sun to take the measure of the galaxy would have been our first step into interstellar space.
With A NASA focused on space exploration, we would now be on the verge of realizing a future as citizens of the galaxy. We have lost so much because of NASA, when we could have had so much.
Space is accessible from any point on earth. No right of way or public airways situation exists. Space can be a free market, but only if we take care to avoid the encumbrance of government regulation. It is necessary to begin defining Space as a free market now to forestall the regulators, so whenever Space is discussed remember the following points.
Competition should be emphasized, not a regulated industry. Avoiding the concept of a uniformed government operated transportation service is absolutely essential, we don't need a corps of Cliff Clavens (the Cheers mail carrier character) carrying us into space. There should always be three or more companies competing for any cargo into Space.
A government contract to carry cargo into Space should be viewed with suspicion. Government contracts always precede government regulations, BEWARE OF POLITICIANS BEARING GIFTS!
A free market is the best PR line. Cite the innovation of the free market computer industry as an example of what a free market in Space can offer.
Above all emphasize the open nature of space transportation, any company, from any point on earth, to any location in Space. Competition to deliver the maximum benefit.
Define space transportation as a contract relationship, not a common carrier operation. Avoiding the status and burden of common carrier regulations is very important. Common carriers are heavily regulated by government and an industry defined as common carriers is very noncompetitive.
In the mid 70's NASA used the line "America's Railroad to Space" to sell the idea of a government operated Space Shuttle fleet. It is now time to derail that idea.