The thing is...

"John Crane" writes:

While I think commercialization is a good (and inevitable) idea, I see NASA
as more of the exploration arm - doing things that private enterprise can't
or won't do because you can't make a dime on it yet.

That is not how NASA started, in fact just opposite. Helping private enterprise
boot-strap the aviation industry by lending laboratory equipment and expertise
not available/affordable to the fledgling aviation companies starting out in
the 20's and 30's.

The NASA you're thinking of and most people are familiar with today was a result
of a Cold War perversion that politicized the organization to provide the
country with the technological means to 'beat' the Russians in the space race.
As Tom Wolfe writes, the space race was the 20th century's form of single-combat

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_...#Single_combat

as an alternative to nuclear war to prove to those in the world still sitting on
the fence as well as the adversaries themselves which society/system held the
ultimate technological hegemony.

Think of it this way, NASA is returning to its roots and a long and successful
heritage when it was known as NACA. Maybe NASA can now do for space what NACA
did so successfully for aviation without the flags and footprints distractions.

http://www.centennialofflight.gov/es...NACA/Tech1.htm


I just hope they keep the NASA facilities as museums. One day I'd like to
take my grandkids to visit them.

I think they'll stay busy.

Dave

David Spain wrote:
Think of it this way, NASA is returning to its roots and a long and successful
heritage when it was known as NACA. Maybe NASA can now do for space what NACA
did so successfully for aviation without the flags and footprints distractions.

Step one: Build solar wind tunnel.


Pat

Pat Flannery writes:

Step one: Build solar wind tunnel.

That actually sounds like an interesting project, I note also lack of smiley...

Dave