🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1993Jan8.134508.15155@iti.org> aws@iti.org (Allen W. Sherzer) writes:
>In article <1993Jan7.220739.9367@cerberus.ulaval.ca> yergeau@phy.ulaval.ca (Francois Yergeau) writes:
>
>>>So what is so special about human space flight?
>
>>The market, for one thing.  Spin off shuttle to the private sector, and
>>you're likely to get at most one provider, and one buyer (NASA).  
>
>Nonsense. Run KSC like an airport and Shuttle like an airliner. There is
>no reason that several companies couldn't buy Shuttles and lease the
>hanger facilities like any other airport.
>
>The market is small because NASA keeps it small.

The market is small because there's little industrial demand outside
of comsats for access to space. No product other than communications
has shown itself economic in the face of the high up front costs of
entry. Commercial launcher providers are cheaper than NASA, as you are
fond of noting, and NASA has been restricted in competing for commercial
launch business. So NASA isn't keeping the space market small. The lack
of a way to turn a buck is keeping the market small.

Gary
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