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First watch this from TED

Now those of you who know me will pick out right away the two topics that stick out to me in this video:

• Why did it take so long to happen?
• Why didn’t it happen when Government had a monopoly in space?

Why did it take almost 50 years after we went to the moon for something like this to happen? When we finally did make it to space why did it take just a small group of people who wanted it to happen? Is there something fundamental about our old structure of access to space that fundamentally made it impossible?

My personal reason for why the cost of going to space never went down was that there was a feeling that space was owned by the government. If our country isn’t socialist on the ground it is in space. If you thought trying to get all the permits to build a house was bad talk to someone from this project about getting Ok’d for going into space. People were just not allowed in two ways, there was a paper wall, and people just thought it was NASA’s job. NASA’s job is to study earth and space, not to exploit it for our use on earth. I think people thought NASA’s job was to do it all when it was not. Even though it took so long I think it was good that it is not NASA offering flights to space for average joe (well above average income joe, but not richie rich).

NASA even if the people thought that it was NASA job to use space for our benefit, NASA could not. Work for a public employer and Milton Freedmans, “anything the government does, private sector can do for half the cost” you will know why NASA can not. NASA will not have done such a thing even if it wanted to. Look at the Aries project to replace the shuttle. Late and over budget, yet offer of $10 Million in cash in a few years you can ride to space for $200k. Amazing, government (in this case NASA) couldn’t/wouldn’t do it, so regular Americans did it. Yes that is the power of free people in a free country. We can find ways to do things better and suffer the loss of failure and gain of success.

Look at the numbers, you can fly to space for 200K/person. If a person weights around 175lb on average, that is a cost of $1142/lb. Compare the shuttle of $10,000/lb. Well the shuttle is 20 year old right? Yes and we knew it cost more than the Saturn V when it was built, “but it was a good idea” (wrong) and we did it anyway. See government does not have to live with failure like someone doing this on a shoe string. Yeah $10-25 Million isn’t your normal string but compare that to Aries and show me what is efficient Oh and notice how he says at the end that $20,000/flight is on it’s way. I think its time for NASA to just pay to have someone else (the market) to fly their stuff to orbit. The market has shown how it can built and fly such a device in less than half the time for less than 25% the cost and operate for even less.

So the next time someone says thats important the government should provide that. Think back to how space flight was when it was government controled. Over priced, wasteful in people (think what all those skilled people could be doing), resources (all that fuel not being blown all over Florida), and availability. If they did get the cost down to $20,000 and I wanted to avoid buying a house for another few years I could fly to space, and I don’t make that much.

My what a few people can do. Just proves If you think something should be done go and do it, don’t wait for the government to do it! Get off your butt, find others who think like you and put it together. Or when your old, you will still be waiting.