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Tea Party in Space argues for more money for commercial space

Andrew Gasser at the Tea Party in Space website today argues strongly for Congress to fully fund the new commercial space program at the $850 million amount requested by the Obama administration.

As much as I am for these new commercial companies, I do not think it a good idea to fund them at these high levels.

For one thing, the government is still broke. It can’t afford to spend that much money. It is therefore unseemly for a website that uses the “tea party” label to advocate more spending at this time.

For another, the more money the government commits to these companies, the more control the government is going to demand from them. Far better to keep the government participation as small as possible. Make it just enough to allow the companies to succeed but not enough so as to make the whole effort a government program.

Genesis cover

On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.

 
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.


The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
 

"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News

3 comments

  • Kelly Starks

    While I agree with most of what your saying (and yes a tea party site advocating huge pork handouts as “investments” in our future doesn’t fix somehow) given the bulk of the market they are finding, the gov rules them.

    Really this has always been the problem, NewSpace old space (companies that can do a HELL of a lot more with a couple billion then Musk and company are doing) no market buyers, means no product; adn for decades the market for heavy lift and crew carry has pretty much been DOD & NASA .. with a FEW other fights by others. So DC politics and purchasing whims rule. Others like Biggelow were thought to be a huge market shift — but its not happening.

    If SpaceX holds to its no FAR contracts excepted, they are going to starve out pretty quck.

    Really you want to revolutionize space as far as cost, accessability, etc — you don’t need new tech, you need a new (hopefully BIG) market.

  • maybe the government can help out companies through an improved regulatory environment, better cooperation, and use of government facilities and information … things that don’t cost a lot of money but have good value

  • Kelly Starks

    Excelent oideas – not ones that find favor in the current admin, but excelent ideas.

    Really the core issue is about no market for launch services. Which make it really tough for any service provider – especially a strugling start up that can’t offer the best cost/quality/value, much less reputation and experence. Right now even the big players are tetering on the edge.

    REally the DOD’s bulk buy of the next few years worth of demand wasone of the best ways to help. No charity or gov grants. The DOD gets a disconut, and the vendors get a cash infusion..

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