🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <ewright.726518580@convex.convex.com> ewright@convex.com (Edward V. Wright) writes:
>When there's only one supplier in a market, that's usually
>a pretty good incentive for other companies to invest.  How
>many companies followed Federal Express into the day-next
>delivery market?

The success of Federal Express demonstrated that there was a large
market of buyers for this service, at the prices allowed by the mature
aviation infrastructure.  Investors jumped in to tap that market.  At
shuttle costs, even under private stewardship, buyers would not flock
in, so investors would be reluctant at best, except for the one who
would be guaranteed x launches at price $y (large) by NASA.  But even
if privatization of shuttle did not produce a competitive market,
perhaps the change of attitude needed for NASA to effect it would be a
Good Thing.

-- 
Francois Yergeau (yergeau@phy.ulaval.ca) |  De gustibus et coloribus
Centre d'Optique, Photonique et Laser    |  non disputandum
Departement de Physique                  |          -proverbe scolastique
Universite Laval, Ste-Foy, QC, Canada    |