As announced January 19, NASA will set aside up to $500 million to support the development of commercial space-transport concepts the agency might use to fly cargo and crews to the International Space Station after the space shuttle fleet's retirement and before the onset of the new crew exploration vehicle. That effort also might jumpstart the commercial space industry.

"Come 2010 or so, we would like to have alternatives in place," said Alan Lindenmoyer, manager of the Commercial Crew/Cargo Project.

Lindenmoyer said although the CC/C project can be considered part of the overall Space Exploration Vision, as announced by President George W. Bush in January 2004, it also should be regarded as "completely separate" from NASA's Constellation pr ogram, under which the agency is developing the CEV and future generations of spacecraft.

"This is different," he explained. "If industry can demonstrate it can meet not only NASA's needs, but also other potential space markets, then we're willing to invest in it. It's our preferred alternative -- if proven reliable and cost effective."

Lindenmoyer likened the current status of the private space industry to the early days of aviation. "It's wide open," he said. "We're looking for ways to open new markets in space."

He emphasized that the CC/C request is not a procurement effort. Instead, "it is an agreement between NASA and the industry. We want to see their business plan - how much are they investing? We want to share the business risk, but we're only going to pay based on performance milestones - they don't get paid if they don't meet them."

According to the NASA request, any companies participating in the program would be free to sell the products and services they develop to clients other than NASA, and the agency said said it will consider using private services to supply and support space missions beyond the station, such as to the Moon, and possibly to Mars.

Lindenmoyer said the agency has not set any deadlines for proof of concept, but it is looking to see the demonstrations begin as early as 2008. The demonstrations will include delivering pressurized or unpressurized cargo to the space station or an alternative low-Earth-orbit test bed, and either safely disposing the cargo on reentry or returning it to Earth . The CC/C project office also will be looking for crew-transport systems.

Proposals are due by March 3. Lindenmoyer said more than 90 companies so far have expressed interest in participating, and his office might begin announcing successful concepts as early as this summer.

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