Matt Wiser wrote:
Show me the money and then the hardware. Otherwise, it's more hot air from
those who think Commercial Space is the best thing since sliced bread.

For the short term this is just about the only thing in the oven right now.

Although I'm a big fan of commercial space I tend to agree with Matt that
right now I just don't understand the economics. For SpaceX and Falcon it
works because of the COTS seed money going into it to make it viable once the
infrastructure is set up. But where's the equivalent for Bigelow and the
others? Without the big govt. contracts to sustain it through initial
deployment what becomes of it?

I'm all for private enterprise picking up the tab for space expansionism, but
frankly I don't see where the dollars are coming from either.

I mean I 'get' the idea of space tourism ala Virgin Galactic, but how much
expansionism will that really fund? What sustains the Bigelow LEO hotel? And
I'm not event talking about the cost of getting there in the first place!

Dave