Past Perfect, Future Misleading

Hop David wrote:


Rand Simberg wrote:

I have some more commentary on the Gehman report, and why we should
not build "the" next generation launch system.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,95930,00.html


At the end of this essay Rand writes:

"We want, and need, a space transport industry, and it will never occur
as long as NASA remains in charge of developing manned launch systems.


I've seen vague speculation on a space tourism industry. But is this the
killer app that will capture public imagination? It's hard to image Joe
Taxpayer writing his congressmen to give incentives to Carmack, Boeing
or whoever to establish LEO resorts.



Find a solid gold asteroid...then you'll have the killer app. Space
transportation would leap a century into the future.

But, unless China makes plans to plant a flag on Mars, there's not much
out there other than the public imagination to give manned spaceflight a
purpose. And that's mainly driven by romantic musings of the Apollo
program.