Neil Armstrong believed NASAs slashed budgets would diminish Americas lead in space, but private industries are already taking up the baton and sprinting with it.
One of my heroes died last weekend.
Neil Armstrongs passing shook me have we really been lunar for so long? but what disturbs me even more is how negatively he and several other prominent astronauts regard private spaceflight visionaries like Elon Musk, Richard Branson and Bob Richards. While frowned upon by yesterdays heroes, these fledgling entrepreneurs hold the greatest hope for future spacefarers and moonwalkers.
After NASA suffered severe budget cuts in 2010, Armstrong voiced his opposition, casting doubt on the ability of private ventures to successfully take to the stars. In a letter that didnt receive nearly as much attention as it should have, Armstrong, along with James Lovell and Eugene Cernan Apollo 13s commander and the last man on the moon, respectively suggested that the death of the government shuttle program and the rise of privatized space flight could spell an end to U.S. dominance in the wild black yonder.
I support the encouragement of the newcomers toward their goal of lower-cost access to space, Armstrong told Congress in 2010. But having cut my teeth in rockets more than 50 years ago, I am not confident.
Are Neil and his cohorts correct? Does an increasing reliance on commercial shuttles leave the United States on a long downhill slide to mediocrity?
Actually, increasing the role of private spaceflight ventures should only enhance Americas dominance in the sky and like it or not, the NASA of the past is not the NASA of the future.
With all due respect to Armstrong, Powell and Cernan, relying on the government to propel humankind into space carries too much uncertainty. After America won the space race, enthusiasm seemed to fizzle out; Cernans final journey to the moon took place all the way back in 1972. That was a full 40 years ago. Four. Zero.
Exploring the final frontier simply isnt a high priority for politicians in a time when economic uncertainty runs rampant and unemployment rates remain floating at high levels. Thats not to say that NASA should be neglected, but its budget ebbs and flows with the public whim. NASAs funds have been (mostly) shrinking since the 1960s and currently stand at around 0.05 percent of the overall Federal budget. Taking inflation into account, the agencys 2012 budget is only half of what it was in Apollos heyday.
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NASA vs. the free market: Which is better for American space dominance?