. 24/7 Space News .
NASA Should Buy New Space Vehicles, Not Build Them

sounds nice in theory, but...
Los Angeles - May 09, 2003
Challenging testimony by NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, the Space Frontier Foundation called on NASA to transform itself into a customer for private enterprise, rather than a competitor.

O'Keefe told the Senate subcommittee overseeing NASA's budget, "We will pursue activities unique to our mission -- if NASA does not do them, they will not get done. If others are doing them, we should question why NASA is involved."

Citing several recent announcements of privately financed space vehicles, the Foundation's Rick Tumlinson asked: "If private enterprise is developing this capability with its own money, why is NASA wasting billions to pay government contractors to design a spaceplane specifically for NASA?

"NASA should transform itself into a customer for private spaceplanes, instead of a competitor. The agency should buy rather than build, when it comes to future transportation from the Earth to space."

The Foundation pointed out that a number of new and innovative commercial firms are investing in developing vehicles to fly humans and payloads into sub-orbital space. Famed designer Burt Rutan recently rolled out his Space Ship One in Mojave, California. Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com has reportedly made a large investment in a suborbital spaceship.

Elon Musk of PayPal fame is building a commercial rocket system, and the entrepreneurial firm XCOR recently flew their EZ-Rocket test bed live in front of hundreds of thousands of people at the Oshkosh air show. The Foundation believes that with NASA offering to be a customer for rides and payload delivery, these companies could continue all the way to orbit.

"Giving NASA managers and government contractors who have failed over and over again billions of dollars to design and build a spaceplane specifically and only for NASA's use is the old way of doing things," Tumlinson said.

"We don't need one Orbital Spaceplane, we need many spaceplanes. We shouldn't be laying off astronauts, we should be opening the space frontier for more Americans. If this is done right, NASA can get all the transportation it needs, save billions in taxpayer funds, kick start a huge new industry and along the way, the people will at last get a chance to go into space themselves."

The Foundation is calling on Mr. O'Keefe to keep his promise to transform NASA and act "as only NASA can" to make real changes. Rather than competing with private enterprise, the Foundation urges NASA to replace government development contracts with launch service purchases, flight data purchases, and competitive prizes for spaceplane development.

Related Links
SpaceDaily
Search SpaceDaily
Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express

New NASA Shuttle Program Doomed To Failure Warns Space Foundation
Nyack - Jan 15, 2003
The initiation of NASA's latest space transport program, the Orbital Space Plane (OSP), was challenged today by the Space Frontier Foundation, which estimates the program's chances of success at zero.



Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only














The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.