Atlantis’ last flight: For NASA, the beginning of the end

Today’s launch of the space shuttle Atlantis begins the last flight of the modern American space program. Its scheduled return on July 20, 42 years after Americans first landed on the moon, will be a sad day, an ending.

The optimists are assuring us that ending the government-sponsored U.S. space program opens the door to privately sponsored space exploration, in which entrepreneurs will have market incentives to find more efficient ways to take humans far deeper into space.

The pessimists are not so sure. It is possible that government will kill private space travel, too. The most likely scenarios: Someone will complain that Private Launcher X’s rockets produce scary pollution, or Private Launcher Y will have one fatal accident, and the government will over-react. Result: Americans grounded forever.

I hope private companies will pick up the fallen baton. I hope they’ll find breakthroughs in energy and biology to thrust new manned (and womenned) spaceships to Mars and beyond. I pray the government that abandoned the new frontier doesn’t block others who are boldly determined to go.

Frank Warner

Comments

[Neo]

It is possible that government will kill private space travel, too.

The Russians have been recently doing their best to kill private space companies from traveling to the ISS with a whole list of mostly bogus reasons.

[Kevin]

I... shoot.

I have to say, it won't be a bad thing to see NASA go. They actually PAY that Hanson guy, despite the crap that he spews. They've no credibility left. I only wish they'd fired Hanson instead of the shuttle people. Or better yet, both.

Unlike you, I have a feeling that once Obama is out of office, the free market will replace NASA with gusto. But it certainly won't happen until he's gone. I suspect he'll use the EPA to regulate it into oblivion. But he'll be gone soon. *finger's crossed*