🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <C0Fq3r.Dyu.1@cs.cmu.edu> roberts@cmr.ncsl.nist.gov (John Roberts) writes:

>The Shuttle only launches about eight times a year, and represents relatively
>few subsidized GAS cans, mid-deck experiments, etc. Is the market really
>*that* small?

In testimony before the House Space Subcommittee, Dennis Dunbar, VP of
the Space Systems Division at GD said that if Government bought launch
services in a commercial and competative manner then costs would be
roughly cut in half.

Yes the market is that small and government policies and systems (like
Shuttle) are sending prices up and not down.

>(And if these incidental payloads were not subsidized, the market
>might be even smaller.)

Not so. If NASA implements the voucher system authorized in last years
authorization bill they could launch more payloads for less cost. There
is a difference between providing subsidies for a hugely expensive system
like Shuttle and giving somebody enough money to launch their own payload.
The latter encourages greater reliance on lower cost systems.


  Allen

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| Allen W. Sherzer | "A great man is one who does nothing but leaves        |
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