| Has NASA, the monolithic space agency, failed in | | | | not a bureaucracy. If safety issues arise from |
| it's quest to put man out into the cosmos? Will | | | | qualified personnel within a bureaucracy, these |
| profit coupled with man's need to explore be the | | | | issues may not resonate to the proper people |
| driving engine which sends man into the cosmos? | | | | within the organization. A case in point, the |
| Think about what has moved technology forward | | | | knowledge of a strong potential for a O-ring |
| within the American society over the past 100 | | | | failure at low temperatures between the |
| years or so. Was Orville and Wilbur Wright | | | | segments for the solid rocket boosters of the |
| employed by the government. Of course not. | | | | space shuttle, existed within the bureaucracy of |
| Most of their research and development for the | | | | NASA before the Space Shuttle Challenger |
| invention of the airplane took place within a small | | | | explosion. More specifically, this critical information |
| bike shop in western Dayton, Ohio, the birth place | | | | in terms of probability of O-ring compromise was |
| of aviation. Thomas Edison, who is accredited with | | | | expressed by engineers at Morton Thiokol, the |
| 1,093 patents earning him the nickname "The | | | | contractor for the development and production of |
| Wizard of Menlo Park" used his own money to | | | | the solid rocket boosters. This information never |
| build the Menlo Park research labs in New Jersey. | | | | percolated upward from Morton Thiokol to the |
| In 1889, Thomas Edison established the Edison | | | | proper people within the NASA organization.In |
| General Electric Company. Thomas Edison is | | | | private enterprise, which is non-bureaucratic by |
| considered the most prolific inventor of our time | | | | nature, a relatively small group of people are |
| and his inventions were created within the realm | | | | working toward a common goal. In this situation, |
| of private enterprise.Did the seed for the | | | | safety issues which arise will be known by all |
| invention of the personal computer germinate | | | | members of the organization. Safety issues will |
| within a government lab? The invention of the | | | | not get lost in a bureaucracy. NASA depends on |
| personal computer came from an assortment of | | | | it's contractors to deliver a high level of safety. A |
| various inventions and from the tinkering of | | | | private enterprise depends on itself to provide a |
| Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in Job's garage in | | | | high level of safety. The structure of a private |
| an area now called Silicon Valley, the southern | | | | enterprise is more suited to the endeavor of |
| part of the San Francisco Bay Area in northern | | | | sending out explorers into space. The government |
| California. Their tinkering led to the development | | | | should award grants to the most promising |
| of Apple Computers. The story of Bill Gates and | | | | companies with the understanding that the |
| the development of the Microsoft family of | | | | sending out of explorers into space does indeed |
| operating systems took place within private | | | | benefit mankind.Americans are at their best when |
| enterprise. The Windows family of operating | | | | they compete. Competition is an integral |
| systems is the most widely used on earth and | | | | component of American society. What was the |
| has been a major player in bringing information | | | | driving force that put us on the moon. It was the |
| technology to the developed world.Examples of | | | | competition with the Russians. At the present |
| major technological advancement within the realm | | | | moment in time, this type of competition does |
| of private enterprise are numerous. Most major | | | | not exist. Although, it appears as if China may be |
| technological advancements within society have | | | | a future competitor. Americans need to compete |
| occurred outside the purview of government | | | | to accomplish something. It is competition which |
| intervention. Governments were intended to | | | | drives the advancement of technology. Why not |
| govern the people. The government's role is to | | | | let companies compete for government funding |
| preserve the environment of freedom and | | | | and let the research and development occur |
| democracy so that intellectual curiosity can flourish | | | | within these companies, and most importantly let |
| within this environment. The government's role is | | | | them compete. These companies can have the |
| also to provide funding, and should not be in the | | | | same characteristics of any company that wants |
| nuts and bolts operation of putting man into | | | | to produce a viable product. They will not be |
| space. The ingenuity of man within the realm of | | | | under contract from NASA and will operate as a |
| private enterprise has resulted in most of the | | | | separate private enterprise entity. A company |
| technological advancements we enjoy today.The | | | | can make money from space tourism and the |
| cosmos will be explored by man operating from | | | | same company can be involved in sending |
| the base of private enterprise and the technology | | | | explorers out into space. Government grants can |
| needed to explore the cosmos will be developed | | | | be awarded based on how strong the potential |
| within that enterprise. Why is this so? NASA is an | | | | exists for space exploration. A company can be |
| agency driven by fear of tragedy. More mishaps | | | | involved in space tourism, exploration, or can |
| will decrease the probability of sufficient | | | | provide a research and development platform. |
| government funding. This cycle of fear, mishaps, | | | | This is the future of man's endeavor into |
| and the hope for continual funding is one that | | | | space.Man will be exploring the cosmos with |
| seems to have no end. But mishaps are part of | | | | private enterprise being the driving engine. If one |
| the business of putting explorers into space. What | | | | enterprise fails, one of the competing enterprises |
| can better withstand the expected mishaps. A | | | | will win out. Sure there will be some disasters and |
| government agency or private enterprise. If a | | | | risks will be taken because that is the nature of |
| private enterprise fails, it's competitor can step in | | | | the business. But when unfortunate disasters or |
| to fill the gap and the engine of private enterprise | | | | mishaps do occur, the private enterprise engine |
| can continue to push man into space. NASA is not | | | | will not grind to a complete halt. Burt Rutan and |
| a private enterprise competing within the world | | | | his Scaled Composites team have taken the first |
| market place.NASA is not what it used to be | | | | steps toward this archetypical dream of exploring |
| during the Apollo days. Given it's current mind set | | | | the cosmos, and they did it with a fraction of the |
| and culture, it will be difficult within this framework | | | | budget that NASA uses and with a team of 130 |
| to send man out into the cosmos as true | | | | or so people to boot. They won the Ansari |
| explorers. They have given the nuts and bolts of | | | | X-Prize by sending a man into space and returning |
| putting man into space to private contractors. But | | | | him safely to earth and then they repeated this |
| these NASA contractors have the same NASA | | | | within two weeks. An absolutely unbelievable |
| mind set because they are under the dominion of | | | | accomplishment given the facilities and resources |
| NASA. There is a fear of mishaps within | | | | which were available to them. This could only |
| contractors without true competition within the | | | | occur within a society where freedom and |
| market place. NASA awards contracts to the | | | | democracy are regarded as a right to all |
| lowest bidder. Does the lowest bidder provide the | | | | individuals. The United States is such a society.Burt |
| highest level of safety. Once a company is | | | | Rutan has said that he has never worked a day in |
| awarded a contract, they remain a NASA | | | | his life. He only plays. His passion for his work is |
| contractor for many years and simply become an | | | | what produces results. Burt Rutan and his team |
| extension of NASA. Therefore NASA becomes a | | | | represent the core of what makes the United |
| autocratic agency with it's arms extending | | | | States the greatest country in the world. May be |
| outward to many companies. NASA's manned | | | | terrorist can get it through their thick heads that |
| space flight program can do no more then low | | | | freedom does work. Most importantly, Scaled |
| earth orbit. Year after year of low earth orbit | | | | Composites has shown the world what private |
| does not excite the American people. Astronauts | | | | enterprise can accomplish. Even if Scaled |
| today are no longer household names. An | | | | Composite's endeavors never go beyond earth |
| American president here and there will give a | | | | orbit, they have taken the first step within the |
| speech saying we are going to Mars. Even | | | | proper mind set and culture, and this is what will |
| President Bush's January 14, 2004 speech seems | | | | put man into the cosmos. This mind set and |
| to have already been forgotten by the American | | | | culture of pure unadulterated intellectual curiosity is |
| public.When we went to the moon this was the | | | | what really will put man into the cosmos. Not |
| start of an exploration. A goal was set on May | | | | NASA's mind set of fear.NASA has played it's |
| 25, 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, during a | | | | important role by lighting the torch in sending man |
| speech before a Joint Session of Congress, to | | | | to the moon. We are now at a point in the |
| reach the moon before the end of the decade. | | | | history of mankind where that torch should be |
| NASA kicked into high gear and achieved one of | | | | passed to private enterprise. The developer of |
| the greatest accomplishments in the history of | | | | the Ansari X-Prize I'm sure shares my thoughts. |
| mankind. We took the first step into space and | | | | God has placed the planets and all the stars within |
| then just stopped. Since then all of the manned | | | | the universe there for a reason. It is God's |
| space missions have never gone beyond low | | | | intention for us to move outward into the final |
| earth orbit, and the American public becomes | | | | frontier. We do this to fulfill the natural curiosity |
| bored easily. To gain the American interest and | | | | that God has given to us and in the process we |
| support of the Apollo days, we must send true | | | | better the lot of mankind. Lets go...Copyright 2005 |
| explorers out into space. NASA wants to take | | | | Thomas SullivanThomas Sullivan, the author of |
| such small, time consuming incremental steps that | | | | this article is an IT Consultant/Search Engine |
| by the time comes when the really exciting work | | | | Optimizer, Pilot, and Space Enthusiast. He currently |
| begins, the American support and interest may be | | | | manages two aviation related web sites. These |
| eroded to the point where NASA may no longer | | | | are Pilot Portal USA - Pilot Weather Briefing, Flight |
| have the financial means by which to accomplish | | | | Schools USA, Aviation Directory and Weather for |
| such an endeavor. Hence, the need for private | | | | Pilots - Weather Briefing Checklist, Current |
| enterprise to accomplish such an endeavor. If we | | | | Forecast Weather Data. Address questions or |
| are going to go into the cosmos, then lets do it | | | | comments to Thomas Sullivan. You can find his |
| and stop the futile activity.A private enterprise is | | | | email address on his web sites. |