This should be a barn burner. I can't imagine he's very happy with NASA and Mike Griffin. As Jim Muncy said yesterday, the truce may be over. Talk starts in a few minutes.

Thanks Henry, says this is his favorite conference. Opens with a quote from T. E. Lawrence about dangerous dreams. Says that the people here are "dreamers of the day."

It's an interesting field right now, and he decided to get involved with a company called Orbital Outfitters, which is leasing space suits to the startups. Of all the things he's been involved with in the not-for-profit industry, he enjoyed them, but he finally realized why they called it not-for-profit. Having the time of his life as an entrepreneur, and never has been as scared in his life. Has a holding company called Extreme Space, of which Orbital Outfitters is the first one. Suits are "get-me-down-alive" suits. Hope they're never used, but they have to work. IS-3 "Industrial Orbital Spaceport." First thing he learned starting a company was that he didn't know a damned thing, but he's hiring people who do, and are training him.

Press release coming out next week, hiring Jonathan Clarke, who's a world expert in survivability (his wife, Laurel, died in Columbia).

Not exactly Levis to the miners, but there are niches out there. A second entity will manage human factors and physiology. A third one will be announced this summer. General Genius, which will handle legal issues, and others.

End of talk about his company. Next words are just Rick Tumlinson's opinion.

Laying out a paradox. Best hope for humanity is opening up space. Worst enemy of that is the US government and its policies.

Chart says that NASA is killing US Space. Bureaucracies, tokenism, culture of broken promises, lack of understanding of "commercial," Powerpoint Pioneering replaced Real Exploration. When cash gets short because they blew what they sold it yesterday. We are not going to the moon. That is done.

Getting tired of hearing we need to put together a NACA model. Wants to see someone do something about it. NACA Reformation Act of 2009, to be ready for the coming collapse. Long chart with lots of bullets. Going by too fast to capture. Points out absurdity of NASA's latest offer of station for commercial. "What does that do to Bigelow?"

Wants to remove ITAR restrictions with closer allies, create White House Space Council, other ideas (I'll try to get copies of the charts). Says that we need "commitment," with long quote to that effect. Wants to start wikis about why and how to reform NASA. Sorry, just can't type fast enough to transfer the firehose output to keyboard.

Applause.

If you want to lease a suit, rick@ricktumlinson.com

Truce may be over? ZOUNDS

Since the space activist group has been ineffective at EVERYTHING it has tried..and can usually be bought off for a song...I am sure NASA and his hangers on are shaking in their boots.

Robert