Zimmerman/Batchelor Show: "Biosphere-2 Tour," & "Bush/Obama Politics of the SLS/Orion boondoggle."

John Batchelor Show/WABC Radio/Behind the Black ^ | April 5, 2018 | Robert Zimmerman

[Voption]

For the April 5, 2018 John Batchelor Show; science-writer Bob Zimmerman discusses his recent tour of Biosphere-2, and updates on the effects of the Bush/Obama Policy concerning the SLS/Orion boondoggle.

[Wuli]

Take the entire project away from NASA. Establish a separate independent government funded not-for-profit enterprise with its own management team and allowed to chart it’s own course, including whatever use of private contractors and private produced technology solutions that IT deems worthy and efficient for success of its one singular mission. Fund it with all that had been designated for SLS/Orion and offer private contractors a piece of the action as needed; by that I mean technological inventions, means and productions that may serve the government’s purpose as well as serve a private enterprise purpose; with the government’s purpose being foundational-exploratory and not as competitor to private enterprises.

[null and void]

Why not-for-profit?

[Wuli]

Yes, “for profit” as far as with whom any government exploration program works with. For instance, a “for profit” group may have a “launch vehicle” they will sell, rent, lease or charge fees-for-use of, that the government non-profit exploration outfit sees as better and more efficient than “building a better mousetrap themselves. And that same “for profit” outfit has plans to use that same launch vehicle for totally private sector uses as well. I say fine; the government exploration outfit does not have build a better mousetrap for everything, if something the private sector is already doing can get the job done.

For certain things the military has been doing this sort of things for decades. For instance the military does not often use its own military transport craft for moving troops from and to overseas assignments. They often use commercial charter flights for that, and sometimes even just purchase (or have vouchers for) a seat or seats on commercial flights. I can mention other ways but you get the idea.

My point is there is always going to be the two - government sponsored fundamental, basic, discovery and exploration, and as the knowledge gained from that is broadened there is going to commercial use/exploitation of, and further broadening of that knowledge. But, unlike the normal course of NASA has been, the government does not always have to “do it (their part of exploration) inventing everything themselves or only using what the government is party to producing. Any government project should use what it can from what the commercial, for profit world, already produces, or is willing to produce and share, sell or rent to the government.