Jump-Starting the Space Program: The profit motive would do the trick

The Weekly Standard ^ | 09/14/2009 | Jim Prevor

[JimPrevor]

The moon belongs to everyone The best things in life are free, The stars belong to everyone They gleam there for you and me. --From the 1927 musical Good News

Star-gazing may be free, but the Human Space Flight Plans Committee, a panel of luminaries and experts appointed by President Obama to assess the future of America's manned space efforts, has found that space exploration is not. The gist of the committee's imminent report: Our current levels of expenditure will not support a return to the moon, a journey to Mars, or much beyond keeping the space station operating.

This sad conclusion dovetails with recent news reports marking the 40th anniversary of man's landing on the moon. All of them noted that not much outer space exploration has occurred since the United States answered President Kennedy's famous call: "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth."

The reason little has happened since 1969 was typically reported as having something to do with the end of the Cold War. And certainly, President Kennedy wanted to show the world that the United States was number one in what he called "the battle between freedom and tyranny." But few commentators asked why no other motivation for investment in space had emerged in the United States or other countries. The reason is simple: a lack of incentives

[JimPrevor]

Exploration of outer space has been hobbled by the fact that the legal structure we have created eliminates most incentives to invest in space exploration. This explains why there is so little effort made to explore outer space. This relationship between incentives and activity holds lessons for our domestic economic policies as well.

[cripplecreek]

The outer space treaty hasn’t exactly helped.

[Army Air Corps]

Ping.

[KevinDavis]

For other space news go to: http://www.spacetoday.net

[LiberConservative]

The resources in space belong to no one. But China will change all that with or without the world’s cooperation.

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

All our treaties not related specifically to establishing national borders or Indian reservations should be immediately abrogated. And I’m open to reconsidering 54-40 or fight.

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

All your moon are belong to U.S.

[org.whodat]

You mean there is a law against mining on the Mars. When did the little green people pass it. For PC purposes, No offense to green Martians intended. Could I have a link to the Mars Times.