Jeff Foust has taken some pictures of the new annex to the National Air and Space Museum out by Dulles Airport. There are also interesting articles at today's The Space Review by Sam Dinkin, about the prospects for O'Neillian space colonies (with a little historical perspective of the concept), and by Stephen Ashworth on the vital need for NASA to work cooperatively, rather than adversarially, with private enterprise. Finally, Jim Oberg has a first-hand account of how technical organizations become sloppy, with potentially deadly consequences.

Do you think I cracked fusion in the side bar?

I don't know what you're referring to.

Quoting from Stephen Ashworth's article: "The ideally-efficient space agency would create manned spaceflight capabilities with the explicit and deliberate purpose of seeing those capabilities taken over by others who can employ them on an economic basis."

Speaking as a manned spaceflight entrepreneur, this is one of my worst nightmares. I visualize it as implementing privatization of the Space Shuttle, an action that has been seriously discussed. In this scenario, one large commercial organization that outbids all others gets the benefit of the sunk development costs, and gets to keep others off the market. There is no economic incentive to update or innovate, nor can other entrants raise private investment to "build a better mousetrap"

The trick is to find a way to use NASA's funds to promote development of private sector capabilities. They can do that by stimulating the market, with far lower risk of quashing private innovation than by developing government systems to "privatize"

Sorry, I should have started my post with the statement that I wholeheartedly agree with Stephen Ashworth's assertion that economics, not politics will be the driving force behind sustainable space activities. The conundrum is how to accomplish that.

It's like Robert Heinlein said: "When it's time railroad, you railroad. Not before."

There is no conundrum. We just have not gotten there yet. We will know it when we do.

More's the pity.

Opp... make that "to railroad" :-((

Re: Dan

I think that privatizing the shuttle would cause it to be sold for scrap clearing the way for lots of entrepreneurs. Private companies don't like to subsidize losers the way the government does.

Rand: http://www.thespacereview.com/article/317/2

Don't forget Taylor Dinerman's piece about acquisition reform. Not the most awe-inspiring perspective piece, but important nonetheless.