So, I have not finished my website for the final project yet. But trust me, you'll be quite impressed when I'm done. This will be the link to my website once I finish: http://saagarsprivatespace.weebly.com/
Sagar the Blogger
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Essay 4: Space Exploration: The Role of Private Space Companies
Space
Exploration: The Role of Private Space Companies
Saagar
Patel
Oklahoma
State University
The year 2012 marked the year of one
of the greatest international collaborations of all time, the completion of the
International Space Station. The International Space Station is a low- earth
orbit satellite habitable for humans. It was created as a joint project between
five different space agencies from five different countries. USA’s NASA, the
Russian Federal Space Agency, the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace
Exploration Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency, all, invested and
participated to begin this project in an effort to conduct experiments in a
microgravity environment. Nonetheless, the International Space Station has
acted as a home for astronauts for 15 different nations. The creation of the
International Space Station is truly a remarkable feat and can be compared to
the U.S. manned moon landings as the greatest American scientific
accomplishments. America will always take pride in being the nation with the
first man to step foot on the moon and one of the major contributors to the
creation of the International Space Station.
These accomplishments are well known across the world and have made the
U.S.A. in the eyes of many as the world leader in space technology, innovation,
and exploration. For the next great accomplishment in space travel to happen,
dedication to space exploration must exist in a national sense. The space
exploration program is definitely vital to this country and people across the
U.S. feel its effects. Many of the new energy resources attempting to be
discovered involve the exploration of space. A large amount of weather
prediction has come from space technology. Also, space exploration truly just
broadens the minds of people as it a subject that has a vast amount of
information and the current knowledge regarding space barely scratches the
surface. This is why space exploration is important to Americans across the
country.
The current era for the space
exploration industry is one where the commercialization of space is occurring
in a rapid fashion. There are numerous amounts of private space companies
currently in existence, today, and they all have high ambitions and
expectations. Space travel tends to be on the costly side when compared to many
other industries, so it is just expected that these private space companies
receive the majority funding from wealthy investors. These wealthy businessmen
have a passion for aeronautics and space, and therefore are truly making an
effort to advance space innovation. This is nothing new. This same sort of act
has been happening for over one hundred years. One particular example involves the wealthy Guggenheim family of the
early 1800s. According to Michael Burgan of the Las Cruces Sun News, the Guggenheim family was perhaps the biggest
private contributor to the space industry of the past. Guggenheim’s passion for
space and money, of course, was the primary resource for Robert Goddard’s
development of the rocket. Goddard’s experiments and trials in efforts to
develop the first true rocket were all funded and backed by the Guggenheim
family. It can truly be said that the Guggenheim family were one of the main
reasons for the Rocket Age. Today, just a couple of the well-known investors in
private space exploration include Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic and Elon
Musk of SpaceX. Perhaps, these men are following in the footsteps of the
Guggenheim family or perhaps in the footsteps of “philanthropists from Andrew
Carnegie to John D. Rockefeller [who] helped fund… elaborate technology for
scanning the cosmos” (Burgan, 2012).
Space travel and exploration is
at a point, today, where it is either going to slow down or thrive greatly. The
commercialization of spaceflight is currently going on today in hopes of doing
some of the work NASA is not currently capable of doing. Since NASA relies so
heavily on the U.S. budget proposed each year, long-term projects and
investments are difficult. Private space companies, on the other hand, are
funded by extremely wealthy people who truly have a passion for space travel
and exploration. NASA will obviously
continue to excel and make progress in the space industry, but may see a different
role now with the rise of the private space industry. The private space
industries can do many of the services for NASA for a lot cheaper, and
therefore NASA can focus on more large-scale, futuristic projects. Today, to
maximize space exploration efforts, the private space sector and the government
space sector should collaborate. In the overall space exploration industry, he
private space industry should have a more proactive role, while NASA can play a
more conservative role acting as an oversight committee for these private space
companies.
Many
private space companies have already made great strides in space exploration.
The most well known private space company, and perhaps the one with the most
current success, is Elon Musk’s SpaceX. According to the author of “The New
Space Race,” an article found in Science
Illustrated, “The new
era, which has been dubbed Space 2.0, was launched in earnest in May, when
SpaceX, a privately owned U.S. space company, saw its Dragon space capsule
successfully dock with the International Space Station (ISS) to offload some
1,100 pounds of supplies and scientific equipment” (The New Space Race, 2013). Since
then, SpaceX went one step further by successfully completing the mission of delivering cargo from
Earth to the International Space Station and also returning cargo from the
International Space Station back to Earth, making SpaceX’s Dragon the only
capsule currently capable of accomplishing such as task. The next task SpaceX
is embarking on is the task of completing manned missions. Richard Branson’s
Virgin Galactic is attempting to make space travel a tourist activity with
their spacecraft SpaceshipTwo. The mission of their company, according to CEO
George Whitesides, "’We
want to enable people all over the world to experience what only about 500
people have seen: Earth from space and the surrounding universe’" (Haak,
2012). Even though the expected cost for citizens is supposed to be high, there
will be enough customers for experiencing such a thing is so unique and until
this happens, was limited to only a select few people. Like Virgin Galactic,
Bigelow Aerospace Company is also attempting to extend its services to the
general public for tourism as they are attempting to build residential
inflatable modules in space. Another company dealing with low- orbit missions
is XCOR. XCOR is a very small private space company in comparison to the
others, having only 30 employees. Brian
Doherty, author for the publication Reason,
learns from a visit with XCOR employee Michael Massée that “XCOR's main goal
now is building and flying the Lynx, a suborbital vehicle to take tourists,
experiments, and small satellite payloads out of this world” (Doherty, 2012). A
private space company that has a different sort of task in mind is Planetary
Resources, which is funded by Google co- founder Larry Page. Planetary
Resources is a company that is planning to search for useful resources and
minerals in space. The current mission of the company is to “use robotic
spacecraft to mine asteroids for vital resources that can be brought back to
Earth” (The New Space Race, 2013). The previous companies discussed are just a
few of the many successful, aspiring private space companies in existence. As
can be inferred, most of these companies have a mission in mind of what they
would like their company to specialize in.
Private space
companies have the resources and funding to succeed compared to that of NASA.
There are numerous private space companies in existence in the U.S., today, and
the majority of these companies have experienced some sort of success. These
companies are able to do such great tasks in such little time due to the great
amount of funding and resources they receive. Almost every single one of these
companies is owned and controlled by a very wealthy investor such as Elon Musk
of SpaceX or Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic. Obviously, with the private
space industry being relatively young still, these investors did not start
these companies with the sole purpose of making a profit. Instead, these people
have a passion for space exploration and are investing much of their previous
earnings into ambitious projects in hopes of unveiling a new scientific
discovery.
NASA also is working to reach high goals,
but the organization will always be limited by the funding it receives. NASA is
receiving less and less federal budget money each year, with the 2013 fiscal
year being at a record low. Many can argue that funding NASA is not a priority
with the current state of the economy. This may be true; however, taking a
break from space exploration all together may, consequently, lead to the end of
space exploration. Moreover, NASA has to use a major portion of its funding for a lot more than just
space exploration. Private space companies can use the funding they receive
solely for space travel which is partly the reason these private space
companies are seeing such quick success. Nancy Trejos, author of the USA Today
article “A New
Space Race; Private Companies Dive into Space Transportation,” asserts that due to the
fluctuating budget NASA receives each year, advancements in space exploration
cannot solely rely on government alone (Trejos, 2012). This reason, alone,
should spark the rise of the private space industry. At the end of the day, private space companies receive the funding they
do and will see success because space exploration is something the investors
want to fund, and not something that have to fund.
If the private space industry takes on
much of the needs of space travel and exploration, advancements in space
innovation will be seen due to the business competition between the private
space companies. Commercializing space exploration paves a way for the private
space companies to compete with each other just as any other business seen
today. This competition will truly increase production and innovation. When one
company accomplishes an amazing goal, such as SpaceX transporting cargo to and
from the International Space Station, another company will attempt to advance this
goal by taking it one step farther, such as carrying humans. Prior to the
emergence of the private space industry, NASA was the sole entity dealing with
space exploration in America and was no in competition with anyone else,
potentially leading to less drive. History speaks for itself. When space race
was going on, the U.S. and the Soviet Union were definitely competing with each
other, leading to one of the greatest American accomplishments of all time. Regarding
the rise of private space companies, the president of the space policy consulting firm PoliSpace James Muncy
asserts that “we're making space more American. We're making space more
democratic. We're making space more available, approachable and real to the
average American” (Trejos, 2012). With more than just the government dealing
with space transportation, an open market exists that characterizes the idea of
American business. 20 companies all competing to find a way to reach Mars will
see more progress than one entity, alone, attempting to do the same without any
competition.
Since private space companies are not funded
by taxpayers, they face less scrutiny and criticism. The public will always criticize NASA,
whether in a positive or negative manner. During the moon-landing era, NASA
received an enormous amount of praise but, today, with the current state of the
economy, many view NASA as a waste of money and resources. Of course, the
people do who have the right to have these opinions as they are the ones who
are paying the taxes and NASA ultimately runs on tax money. Due to this
constant spotlight NASA is under, many of the high risk, high reward projects
do not get accomplished for the risk is not work the criticism. Tax- paying
citizens, on the other hand, are not funding private space companies. Due to
this, people are not as critical of them and are excited when there are new
innovations in the space field. Also, this gives private space companies the
opportunity to take chances.
Private space companies will have to take
great risks to gain success. Since the public opinion is not as important, the
private space industry is willing to take greater risks than that of NASA. According to Nola Redd of SPACE.com, for
private space companies, “failure
comes in two types — the loss of scientific opportunities and the loss of human
life” (Redd, 2013). The loss of scientific opportunities can refer to losing
resources and money into unsuccessful projects, which is something that most of
these wealthy investors can afford to risk. The loss of human life is an issue
that nobody can afford, but to advance the scientific community, the risk must
be taken. As a government agency, NASA has to be as cautious and ready as
possible, sometimes leading to missions getting delayed or postponed. John Grunsfeld, NASA's associate
administrator for science and a former space shuttle astronaut, is quoted
saying that “’the private sector is free to take those risks,’…pointing out
that it doesn’t have to deal with government bureaucracy” (Redd, 2013). NASA
has to justify why each cent is spent on a certain project. The private sector
does not. However, private space companies should not rush into manned
spaceflight. Losing a life is a type of failure that will receive public
criticism and may even affect the existence of the private space industry. Many
employees will resign and many prospective employees will lose interest in the
company. Some will argue that private space companies should not deal with
manned spaceflight at all. One panelist at a California Institute of Technology
lecture regarding space commercialization argues that “NASA's record of two losses in 135 crashes
is hardly ideal” and this
occurred even with all the precautions taken due to being a government agency
(Figueroa, 2013). With the
tragedies faced in the recent past with the space shuttle, many are pessimistic
about the idea of a private space company doing the same task- believing that
the risk is even greater when not in the hands of the government. The same
panelist also asserts that the Space Shuttle Program and the Apollo Program
were very ambitious, but truly did not work to the extent expected and now the
space industry finds itself in another experiment with the private space
companies ambitions (Figueroa, 2013). This simply cannot be the attitude to
excel in such a field. Being conservative will keep the U.S. stationery in
terms of space innovation and probably surpassed by other nations. Private
space companies have the opportunity to do great things, so they must attempt
to do so. This is truly a high- risk, high-reward scenario. The rewards can
truly be game- changing so the risks must be taken. This could either lead to
an enormous breakthrough or a failure, of course. Nonetheless, the private
space industry can say they truly tried to advance the space industry, rather
than just playing it conservative.
In the current state of the U.S., the
private space sector and the government space sector must collaborate and work
together to truly make substantial advancements in space exploration. Currently,
there are already contracts between NASA and private space companies to do some
of the routine tasks involving space travel. Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) is a NASA program that will choose private space companies to
deliver cargo to the International Space Station. This was created as a result
of ending the Space Shuttle Program. The U.S. had to find an alternative way to
get to the International Space Station rather than overpaying other nations
such as Russia to use their transport vehicles. From this program, SpaceX and Orbital Sciences
Corporation have signed a contract with NASA to make routine deliveries to the
International Space Station. As of April 21, 2013, Orbital Sciences
successfully reached low- earth orbit, confirming both companies are capable of
performing their duties. Private space companies can do many of the routine
tasks for cheaper than NASA. After
the final space shuttle flight in 2011, NASA paid a private space company,
Virgin Galactic, $4.5 million to buy cargo space and seats on their suborbital
vehicle for three flights. This price is “less than 1 percent of the cost of a
single Shuttle launch” (McKelvey, 2012). Private space companies are not
opposed to this job for acting as [the International Space Station’s grocery
van is a valid business” (Star truck; private space flight, 2012). NASA does
not want to stop advancing in the space industry and therefore will find
private space companies to do such tasks. With private space companies able to
get the same task accomplished for such a discounted price, NASA has no choice
but to be a customer of these private space companies. According to Seth
McKelvey, writer for the publication Reason,
the role of NASA has changed from the “sole producer and consumer of space
transportation to merely one consumer of several” but will continue to act as
the gatekeeper (McKelvey, 2012). While NASA pays the smaller, private space
companies to do the routine work, NASA can focus and do research on large-
scale, futuristic projects. This relationship may contribute to the most
success for the space industry. It will contribute to a constant effort seen in
the space industry, rather than an occasional effort every time a large venture
is presented.
Since space exploration is seen as a
national effort, it is important that America stays at the forefront in space
innovation. . Even though the
commercialization of space travel will decrease the overall tax paid for space
travel by the citizens, there are still many out there that are against the
idea of space travel being done through the private industry. Many people will argue that the total
commercialization of space will make space exploration less of a national
effort and the U.S. will not receive deserving recognition. These people will claim that doing such an
innovative feat such as exploring the moon, an asteroid, or even a new planet
should give recognition to the country rather than the title of a company.
However, given NASA’s fluctuating funding, space exploration just cannot solely
be in the hands of NASA. Yes, total commercialization of space may take away
recognition of the nation as a whole, but that is why there has to be a
collaborative effort between the two sectors. Accomplishments arising from a
collaboration of these two entities will truly be recognized as a national
effort before an effort credited to a company. According to Peter Diamandis of
the Wall Street Journal, a future where government only
controls space ventures will not be sufficient to truly reach the final
frontier (Diamandis, 2010).
Private space companies have the
opportunity to accomplish great things in space exploration in the near future.
It is evident that money will not be an issue for these private space companies
to embark on their goals as they are funded by some of the wealthiest
Americans. This reliability and backing in funding is an advantage over NASA
due to the unpredictable funding NASA receives each year. Also, since private
space companies are not being funded through tax dollars, they have the
opportunity to venture on very ambitious ventures without the consent of the
general public. This also plays an advantage to NASA. Private space companies
are free to take chances, to take on risk. Even if they “strike out,” they can
say they went to the plate swinging. Private space companies taking on the much
of the routine work, with NASA acting as an oversight committee will be the
model for America to continue its title as the leader in space exploration.
Instead of referring to each as separate entities, combine the two. There
should not be a distinction between the private space sector and the
governmental space sector; there should just be an American space sector. This will
truly lead to revolutionary discoveries that may prove to be game- changing.
This is why space exploration is so crucial. Who knows if there is an
accessible energy resource in space that can revolutionize the way Americans
live? Who knows if there are life-sustaining environments in space? These are
the questions that make space exploration so crucial and so interesting. There
is still so much to be unveiled. The universe is considered infinite, so there
will always be something new to be discovered. Everything that has already been
discovered in space, today, is already remarkable, but Americans should not be
already satisfied. The surface has barely been scratched. Who knows what waits
to be discovered?
References
Burgan,
M. (2012, July 22). Their view: Private space exploration a long and thriving
tradition. Las Cruces Sun-News. Retrieved March 13, 2013 from
www.lcsun-news.com
Diamandis, P. (2010, February 10). Space: The final frontier
of profit. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 12, 2013 from http://online.wsj.com
Doherty, B.
(2012). Space on earth. Reason, 43(9), Retrieved March 12, 2013 from www.reason.com
Figueroa,
J. (2013, January 11). Panel: Private space exploration could make it easier to
reach for the stars. Pasadena Star-News. Retrieved March 12, 2013 from
www.pasadenastarnews.com
Haak, E. (2012). Space,
the private frontier. Fast Company, (162), 15-15. Retrieved March 12,
2013 from Proquest database
McKelvey, S.
(2012). (Still) getting off the ground. Reason, 43(9), 14-14. Retrieved
from Proquest database
Redd, N. (2013, January 22). Scientists
see big rewards (and risk) in private spaceflight. Retrieved from www.space.com
Star truck;
private space flight. (2012, May 05). The Economist, 403(8783), 14-14.
Retrieved from Proquest database
The new space
race. (2013, Science Illustrated, 6(1). Retrieved from Proquest database
Trejos,
N. (2012, August 14). A new space race; private companies dive into space
transportation. USA Today. Retrieved from www.usatoday.com
Essay 3: Reflecting on my Research
The
Importance of Research in an Effective Paper
Saagar
Patel
Oklahoma
State University
The research
process is a long, crucial step in producing an effective, informative paper.
Being in the engineering field, I have been accustomed to doing research in the
past; however, this time it seemed different. I had much more difficulty. I
learned that the research question one may initially choose to write about may
not be the right one for the paper. It almost seemed like reading the sources
found from research dictated the topic of the paper rather than the topic
question dictating the research. Without a firm knowledge in the subject
beforehand, one does not know what to expect from the sources and this is what
makes the research process so important and powerful. The topic I researched
for my paper was the current status of private space companies as well as the
role that the private space industry should play in American space exploration.
Doing the research on this topic was not easy. There were definitely times I
had a great amount of difficulty such as choosing the correct topic, finding
recent articles, and using more credible search techniques. The research
process broadened my knowledge greatly and I will write the paper with much
more confidence now.
Coming up with my research topic was not as
easy as I thought it would have been. Honestly, at first, I wanted to choose
the same topic I did for the first paper which was whether spending money and
resources was a waste or not, but I did not know if I could do that so I
started searching for new topics. I considered choosing a topic potentially
dealing with airplanes for that is a major aspect of my major, but my interest
truly is in the space field so I did not think that I would get as passionate
about the paper, probably resulting in a poorer paper. So, I started “Googling”
vague word choices such as "space exploration topics" and was having
a really hard time finding a topic that I truly thought I could write a lot
about. I, then, searched "space" on Reddit and saw the topics with
the comments and discussions dealt with private space industry. I felt that a
subject where many people are discussing and arguing is one of controversy and
importance and potentially a topic with a great amount of available
information. Private space industry interests me a lot, for it is probably
where I want to work in the future. So, now I knew I was going to write about
the private space industry, but still did not know what exactly to write about
pertaining to this. After reading comments from earlier blog posts and
discussion posts, I came to the conclusion of writing about how private space
companies and NASA can work together. I wanted to write about what overall role
the private space industry would have on space exploration. Will they partner
with NASA? Will they do the small jobs for NASA? Will they do their own thing?
It truly took a good amount of researching to develop this topic. .
With a subject pertaining to space
exploration, updated and recent information is a must. This was an issue I came
across during the research process. I would think that I have found a very
useful source typically dated from 2008, but then I would find a source from a
few years later that would make the previous source meaningless. Space
exploration is truly still viewed as futuristic venture even though it is
occurring today. Due to this, an educated reader would view any paper with
information coming from outdated sources as not credible. I had to find the
most recent status and information of private space companies. Most of the
current information on private space companies could be found on their company
website. I, eventually, decided that a little bit older sources could be used
if they were trying to relay an idea about private space exploration, but the
most recent sources needed to be used for information on the current statuses
and goals of private space companies.
Until now, my methodology of research has
been limited to searching for the topic on global search engines such as
Google. This is how I began my research process for the current paper, as well.
I found a great amount of information, but the credibility of these sources
could not be confirmed. After about half of the way through the research
process, I started using the Oklahoma State Library databases found on their
website. At first, I had difficulty finding anything useful from the library
databases. After changing the words and word ordering in the search field, I
noticed different results. The slightest change in wording would result in a
greatly different list of results. . Proquest was the database that most of my
sources came from, but I also found a few on the LexisNexis Academic database.
I think readers will find the paper more credible when the majority of the
sources come from university databases rather than Google or Wikipedia.
Credibility of the sources is one of the most important factors that goes into
a strong research paper.
Overall, the research process for a paper
truly determines the strength of the paper. If the research is done in a
diligent and proper manner, the overall paper will reflect this. After going
through this process, I have come to the conclusion that the research process
is more influential to the overall paper than the writing. To write something
useful requires useful information, which ultimately comes down to having conducted
useful research. My appreciation for the research process has definitely gone
up. I have found many useful and reliable sources, as well as broadened my own
knowledge on the subject. I, originally, thought I could write a paper on this topic before doing any research,
but now that I have done the research, I realize that my paper would have been
very poor compared to what it will be now due to my gained understanding.
Essay 2: Sources for Success
Space
Exploration: The Role of Private Space Companies
Saagar
Patel
Oklahoma
State University
Space travel and exploration is at a
point, today, where it is either going to slow down or thrive greatly. The
commercialization of spaceflight is currently going on today with hopes of
doing some of the work NASA is not currently capable of doing. Since NASA
relies so heavily on the U.S. budget proposed each year, long term projects and
investments are difficult. Private space companies, on the other hand, are
funded by extremely wealthy people who truly have a passion for space travel
and exploration. NASA will obviously
continue to excel and make progress in the space industry, but may see a
different role now with the rise of the private space industry. The private
space industries will do many of the services for NASA for a lot cheaper, and
therefore NASA can focus on more large-scale, futuristic projects. With the
private space industry being so proactive, NASA can play a more conservative
role in the space industry almost acting as an oversight committee for these
private space companies.
There was a great amount of research
conducted to understand and identify what private space companies have done,
what they are planning to do, and how their role is foreseen in the overall
space community. The majority of the sources discuss the optimistic goals of
many specific private space companies. All of the sources are highly credible
and most of them were found using the Oklahoma State University online database
for articles and journals.
Burgan, M. (2012, July 22).
Their view: Private space exploration a long and thriving tradition. Las
Cruces Sun-News. Retrieved from www.lcsun-news.com
“Their View: Private Space Exploration a Long and Thriving Tradition”
is a newspaper article written by Michael Burgan for the Las Cruces Sun News. The article primarily compares what a few
innovators in the private space industry are doing today to people in the past
and what they did in the aerospace industry. The author claims that the
investors Elon Musk of SpaceX, Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic, and Paul
Allen of Stratolaunch are following in the footsteps and are part of the
tradition of wealthy people with efforts to advance the space and aeronautics
industry. The author uses small examples specifically of Charles Tyson Yerkes,
a robber baron, donating $300000 to the University of Chicago to build an
observatory and of James Lick, who was the richest man in California at time,
leaving much of his fortune to the University of California in 1876 to build an
observatory containing the world’s most powerful telescope. The author states
“philanthropists from Andrew Carnegie to John D. Rockefeller helped fund ever
more elaborate technology for scanning the cosmos” (Burgan, 2012). By him
stating this, it shows that space exploration was truly a passion and concern
for many wealthy people in the past and they did a lot to advance study in this
field. The author further asserts that the Guggenheim family was perhaps the
biggest private contributor to the space industry in the past. Guggenheim’s
passion for space and money, of course, was the primary resource for Robert
Goddard’s development of the rocket. Goddard’s experiments and trials in
efforts to develop the first true rocket were all funded and backed by the
Guggenheim family. It can truly be said that the Guggenheim family were one of
the main reasons for the Rocket Age. Overall, this article shows that the
passion for space exploration by wealthy entrepreneurs has always been there
and has seen success so it is likely to see success again today.
Diamandis,
P. (2010, February 10). Space: The final frontier of profit. The Wall
Street Journal. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com
In
“Space: The Final Frontier of Profit,”
a Wall Street Journal
article written by Peter Diamandis, the author argues that the existence of
private space industry will be one of success due to its affordability and
drive compared to government agencies. The author claims that private space
companies will be the forefront in space exploration. There are two fundamental
ideas that the author bases his argument. The first idea the author states is
that now "private capital is seeing space as a good investment, willing to
fund individuals who are passionate about exploring space, for adventure as
well as profit" (Diamandis, 2010). Companies are now willing to invest in
such endeavors as many investors are seeing the potential for return. It is no
longer only affordable for large government entities. The author's second fundamental
idea is that "companies and investors are realizing that everything we
hold of value—metals, minerals, energy and real estate—are in near-infinite
quantities in space" (Diamandis, 2010). There is a great amount of
resources out there just waiting to be discovered and many companies want to do
just that. One example the author uses as an analogy is the idea that Alaska
was once seen as a wasteland, but now has a billion dollar economy. With
private space companies having so many young, passionate employees, the will
and drive is there to take on such a task. The author envisions the government
to play the role of the "big customer" in the near future. Government
will ask of the private companies for certain tasks to be accomplished. This will
create competition between the different private space companies, ultimately
advancing space innovation. The author concludes by asserting that a future
where government only controls space ventures will not be sufficient to truly
reach the final frontier.
Doherty, B. (2012). Space on earth.
Reason, 43(9), 60-61. Retrieved from Proquest database
In “Space on Earth,” an article written by Brian Doherty in the
publication Reason, the author writes
and discusses about his visit to the Mojave Spaceport where he is a guest of
private space company XCOR. XCOR is a 30- employee company developed for space
transport and space exploration. XCOR has already built two successful rocket-
powered airplanes. Over a thousand launches have been done without any major
injury to the aircrafts so XCOR boasts its vehicle’s durability. Their current,
main concern is to build and fly the Lynx “a suborbital vehicle to take
tourists, experiments, and small satellite payloads out of this world”
(Doherty, 2012). The Lynx will be a vehicle they could use for tourism, which
will bring in revenue, and experiments will advance the scientific knowledge of
the space community. In his talk with a representative of XCOR, the author
learns that companies such as XCOR are not just normal companies that lure your
“average” American. Those who work for these companies are space enthusiasts
and are doing this for more than the pay. Having only 30 employees, XCOR must
be a very competitive company to work for. The author is also told that if the
company turns into a profitable business, there will be more hype and therefore
will lure more people to work in such an industry. The author concludes by
asserting that the small town of Mojave dreams of great innovation and whether
it is the profit or the pure love of space, more people will join in such
endeavors to advance the space community.
Figueroa, J. (2013, January 11).
Panel: Private space exploration could make it easier to reach for the stars. Pasadena
Star-News. Retrieved from www.pasadenastarnews.com
The article “Private Space Exploration Could Make it Easier to Reach
for the Stars,” authored by James Figueroa, discusses the views of a few
panelists at a Caltech lecture concerned with the impact of space
commercialization. The author acts primarily as just a narrator of the major
conversations the panelists had. The author quotes the panelists continuously
throughout the article. The topic primarily discussed between the panelists is
the affordability of sending payloads into space or the idea of space tourism.
One of the panelists discusses that this industry is different from other
technology industries where you see products become better as the parts become
cheaper. Sending a payload into space has not gone down in price, but he
believes there is no reason it should be like that. There are views from other
panelists, however, that affordability of such ambitious projects will just not
occur any time soon and it is better to invest in ground based space
technologies such as telescopes. Along with the cost of these projects, the
safety of the passengers going into space is another major topic discussed. The
author notes that one panelist “commented that NASA's record of two losses in
135 crashes is hardly ideal, but [other panelists] defended the space shuttle
program” (Figueroa, 2013).
With the tragedies faced in the recent past with the space shuttle,
many are pessimistic about the idea of a private space company doing the same
task- believing the risk is even higher when not in the hands of the government.
The same panelist also asserts that the Space Shuttle Program and the Apollo
Program were very ambitious, but truly did not work to the extent expected and
now the space industry finds itself in another experiment with the private
space companies ambitions. Overall, this
article is helpful as it displays a view that is against the commercialization
of space travel.
Haak, E. (2012). Space, the private
frontier. Fast Company, (162), 15-15. Retrieved from Proquest database
In “Space, The Private Frontier,” an article written by Emma Haak
published in Fast Company, the author
discusses the plans of a few private space firms with intents of leading the
way in space exploration. This article is similar to the “The New Space Race”
found in Science Illustrated as it
specifically lists a particular company and discusses their current major goal.
Virgin Galactic is the company first mentioned. The author notes that their
goal is to make a trip to space a tourist attraction. Their CEO says they would
like for people all over to see the things so far only a handful of people have
seen. The author discusses the plans of SpaceX, which most of these other
articles already have. SpaceX truly is at the forerunner in private space
industry and their success will pave the way for many others. Boeing is
planning on building a spacecraft by the year 2015 to carry astronauts to the
International Space Station. Haak quotes the VP of Boeing stating "’it
would be unfortunate to cede leadership to others, then look longingly at their
accomplishments’" (Haak, 2012).
Ultimately, the United States will work together to be the leader in
space travel. At the end of the day, space exploration is seen as a national
feat and these private companies do not want other countries to accomplish
great feats first. XCOR is mentioned discussing their plans regarding the Lynx
vehicle, which was discussed in the article “Space on Earth.” Overall, this
article states what many of the other articles have by listing the primary
goals of each company, but the insight of the leaders of these companies makes
this article useful.
Luthra, S. (2012, August 10).
Going private, space industry eyes state's open spaces: [national desk]. The
New York Times. Retrieved from Proquest database
In The New York Times article “Going Private, Space Industry Eyes
State’s Open Spaces: [National Desk]”, the
author, Shefali Luthra discusses the effects and goals of a particular space
companies efforts to build a launchpad site in Texas. The author asserts that
much of the appeal that private space companies see in relocating to Texas is
due to the history behind NASA’s mission control in Houston and the fact that
NASA is facing budget cuts currently. The main issue private space companies face
in order to receive financial incentives is the uncertainty of job creations in
the area. Gilberto Salinas, the
executive vice president of the Brownsville Economic Development Council
asserts that the development of the SpaceX would inject around $50 million
dollars in annual salaries into the city’s economy. This implies that there are economic benefits
for the area inviting the company. According to the author, “Gov. Rick Perry
has expressed interest in promoting the private space industry in Texas and has
met with Elon Musk, the chief executive of SpaceX, many times” (Luthra 2012).
This implies that there is some hope and a vision in the governor’s eyes that
there will be many advantages of allowing the private space companies to
relocate to Texas. Another major issue space companies are facing involves the
concern of local environmentalist who are “petitioning for Space to abandon its
Brownsville plans” as the area they are attempting to build upon is home to
rare species (Luthra 2012). Mr. Salinas countered, “SpaceX had a history of
complying with environmental regulations and said he believed the company would
protect species in the park” (Luthra 2012). Other than this small issue, Texas seems hopeful and inviting
of private space companies. The author
ends by asserting that many states are attempting to attract private space
companies also as it has a chance to truly boost local economy.
McKelvey, S. (2012). (Still) getting off
the ground. Reason, 43(9), 14-14. Retrieved from Proquest
Database
In “(Still) Getting Off the Ground,” by Seth McKelvey, the author
discusses what role the private sector sill play in space flight. The author
starts the article by quoting an earlier article from the same publication Reason written by James C. Bennett.
“Bennett imagined a future government finally ending the Space Shuttle program
in order to focus on larger issues like "unemployment problems"
(McKelvey, 2012). Bennett’s prediction came true in 2011 when the Space Shuttle
program was retired. The author also states that if the Space Shuttle program
had ended in Reagan’s administration, the private space industry would have
been enormous and that space travel would be "’an everyday occurrence’ by
the year 2000, with competition encouraging innovation and pulling prices back
down to Earth” (McKelvey, 2012). This is the time Americans are in now. Private
space companies have emerged to take on the tasks NASA currently cannot do.
After the final space shuttle flight in 2011, NASA paid a private space
company, Virgin Galactic, $4.5 million to buy cargo space and seats on their
suborbital vehicle for three flights. This price is “less than 1 percent of the
cost of a single Shuttle launch” (McKelvey, 2012). With private space companies
able to get the same task accomplished for such a discounted price, NASA has no
choice but to be a customer of these private space companies. Ultimately,
according to the author, the role of NASA has changed from the “sole producer
and consumer of space transportation to merely one consumer of several” but
will continue to act as the gatekeeper (McKelvey, 2012). The author concludes
by stating that private space companies have always been in NASA’s shadow due
to the space shuttle, but now they have a chance to truly shine.
Redd, N. (2013, January 22). Scientists
see big rewards (and risk) in private spaceflight. Retrieved from
www.space.com
In “Scientists See Big Rewards (and Risk) in Private Spaceflight,” an
online article written by Nola Redd for SPACE.com, the views private space
companies’ goals and missions are discussed in comparison to the traditional
views of NASA spaceflight. The author first notes that the private space
industry is still a growing industry. Virgin Galactic does not even plan to
develop new technologies, but rather build upon successful existing
technologies. The author then discusses risk associated with the private space
industry. The author strongly states, “failure comes in two types — the loss of scientific opportunities and
the loss of human life” (Redd, 2013). The loss of scientific opportunities can
refer to losing resources and money into unsuccessful projects which is
something that a few of these wealthy investors can afford to risk. The loss of
human life is an issue that nobody can afford, but to advance the scientific
community, the risk must be taken. John Grunsfeld, NASA's associate
administrator for science and a former space shuttle astronaut, is quoted
saying that “’the private sector is free to take those risks,’…pointing out
that it doesn’t have to deal with government bureaucracy” (Redd, 2013). This is
an advantage private space companies have over NASA. Also, since taxpayers are
not funding private space companies as they are NASA, private space companies
do not face as much criticism or scrutiny. The first manned flight will truly
determine the success, or even existence, of privatized spaceflight. A failed
mission due to poor planning or preparation is unacceptable, and the public
will not respond in a positive manner. If a company fails “because [they]
pushed to the frontier,” the public’s reaction cannot be predicted. Overall,
the private space industry is one that fits the idea of high risk, high reward
product.
Star truck; private space flight. (2012, May
05). The Economist, 403(8783), 14-14. Retrieved from Proquest database
In “Star Truck; Private Space
Flight,” an article in The Economist
newspaper, the author discusses how he or she foresees the business that will
be done by upcoming private space companies. The author first states that a
group of rich Americans have already announced that they plan to mine asteroids
for precious materials. The author ultimately claims that this venture is not
worth it due to the cost. On a more optimistic note, SpaceX, having launched
their Dragon capsule to the International Space Station is discussed. The
Dragon capsule transferred cargo from Earth to the International Space Station
recently and the author views this as a viable business. The author states that
private space companies can build vehicles to carry cargo from Earth to the
International Space Station; that “acting
as [the International Space Station’s grocery van is a valid business” (Star
truck; private space flight, 2012). The author also asserts that the vehicles
designed by SpaceX are ultimately intended for humans to go into space. With
the recent retirement of the space shuttle program by NASA, NASA will want
American vehicles to get American astronauts into space and therefore “SpaceX
will be handsomely rewarded” (Star truck; private space flight, 2012). SpaceX
will essentially sell its product to NASA so NASA can continue sending astronauts
into space. The author also discusses the possibility of manned space tourist
flights. The author claims it is too early to tell whether it will be viable,
but if the demand is ever present, companies such as SpaceX are equipped to
take advantage. The author concludes by stating that Elon Musk, the founder of
SpaceX, is still a ways away from his dream of a Martian retirement.
The new space race. (2013, Science
Illustrated, 6(1), 32-39. Retrieved from Proquest database
“The New Space Race,” an article featured in Science Illustrated, presents in detail many of the feats in space
travel and exploration wished to be accomplished by many visionary
billionaires. The article has sidebars, which lists a new horizon to be
explored with details on the background. One of the first horizons to be
explored is shuttling astronauts, which is the dream of SpaceX founder Elon
Musk. His goal is to carry astronauts and cargo on SpaceX rockets to the
International Space Station and beyond. Another task is to build a space
station. This is the goal of Robert Bigelow of Bigelow Aerospace Company. He
wishes to “build residential modules and space bases for tourists, scientists
and mining operations” (The new space race, 2013). A private space station will
draw in a lot of customers, and ultimately revenue. Another horizon to be
explored is to mine on asteroids. This is one of the primary goals of Larry
Page who is one of the primary investors behind Planetary Resources. The goal
is to use a robotic space vehicle to mine the asteroids for precious materials
and useful resources to bring back to Earth. The article poses many strong
arguments why mining on asteroids should be done such as the high return in
profit and the great amount of minable asteroids. The article goes into much
detail on how each of these feats can be accomplished and the current status of
them all. The author asserts that even though it seems as if SpaceX is the main
and only player in the private space industry, there are many others
contributing to the rising market.
Trejos, N. (2012, August 14). A
new space race; private companies dive into space transportation. USA Today.
Retrieved from www.usatoday.com
In the USA Today article, “A new space race; Private companies dive into
space transportation”, written by
Nancy Trejos, the author conveys the goals of many private space companies and
how they may be an advantage to full government control of space exploration.
The author states that due to the fluctuating budget NASA receives each year,
advancements in space exploration cannot solely rely on government alone. This
is where private space organizations come into play. With the government
letting many private space companies do much of the near- orbit work that NASA
used to do, competition between the private companies results. All the private
space companies will be competing with each other. The author quotes the president of the space policy consulting
firm PoliSpace James Muncy asserting that “We're making space more American.
We're making space more democratic. We're making space more available,
approachable and real to the average American” regarding the rise of all the
private space companies (Trejos 2012). With more than just the government
dealing with space transportation, it as an open market that characterizes
American businesses. The author then proceeds to discuss a few example
companies and why they are investing with such high hopes for big return. The
author truly implies that the rise of the private space companies is the
beginning to a major surge in space exploration. This article is helpful as it clearly shows
the author’s view on the role of private space companies compared to the
government’s role on space travel.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)