Privatization of Space

I think private enterprise in space is a very good idea, if it’s done right. Certainly to start it’s only the very rich that will be able to afford it, but the same was true for motor vehicles and air travel. As technology improves, it becomes more accessible and cheaper, and private enterprise is very good at delivering these things cheaply and quickly.

On the other hand, at this point in our history, I think a space agency like NASA is essential. They do a lot of important stuff, including a lot that private enterprise either wouldn’t be interested in or wouldn’t have the money for. It’s unfortunate that NASA, which gets an absolute pittance in the US budget, particularly when compared to the defense budget, always seems to be first on the chopping block when they want to cut costs. This is the agency who went from Kennedy’s pronouncement to putting men on the moon, in the same decade, a feat that hasn’t been equalled since the end of the Apollo program.