The thing that Obama is doing that is most likely to lead to the commercialization of space is he’s making living on Earth unbearable.
Obama couldn’t commercialize Microsoft.
Let NASA focus on research, the moon, and deeper space.
Eventually, the moon can be commercial travel.
Obama isn’t commercializing space, he’s pulling private companies into the same trap he has the automakers in. These private companies will play space taxi and freight hauler to government facilities under government contract. Unfortunately that’s all they can ever be as things stand now.
If Obama wanted to open space up for private exploitation he would have to pull us out of the outer space treaty.
-19bama is not capable of “commercializing” space. If space was ALREADY commercialized, -19b’ would be well equipped to Unionize space and/or public-sectorize space, though.
You can see all the bureaucrats with their eyes full of dollar signs gazing (and walking) zombie-like toward their next major revenue stream with drool running out of their mouths moaning something that sounds like the words, “Tax them! Tax them!”.
Philanthropist Al Capone helped commercialize alcohol sales in Chicago during a period highlighted by strong government control of access.
Obama - just another Chicago philanthropist furthering the needs of humanity.
I always thought “The Man Who Bought The Moon” was not without a decent legal premise.
Right. He just laid off 7000 people at the Kennedy Space Center. Of 13,000. That’s very forward-looking of him.
The idea that Obama is a free market capitalist is ludicrous on its face.
What he’s really doing with NASA is turning it into another global warming center where green pseudoscience can be pursued at great expense.
Actually, now that I think of it, it’s a leaf out of Al Gore’s book. Use the satellites to give us nice pictures of Mother Gaia. Use them to keep an eye on the polar bears and the penguins.
Commercial space ventures blossomed very nicely all by themselves alongside NASA’s programs. Commercial efforts are at an all time high with no help Obama. Of course, he will want to take credit.
The short answer is No. Commercialization of space flight will not get off the ground without a substantial infusion of federal funds. There is too much extremely costly Research & Development required before we are even close. All of the aerospace technologies, testing facilities, laboratories reside in DoD and NASA. It is a pipe dream for those who understand not science or basic economics.
If the government would or could move away from entitlements, it could do its proper job in funding R&D initiatives. Government funding of R&D has been on a steep decline since 1970, IMO.
Commercial space enterprise may take off over the next few decades; only Zero has zero to to do with it. The whole premise is silly, the COTS vehicle (Commercial, Off The Shelf) which could ferry passengers to Low Earth Orbit and back doesn’t exist. If it did, NASA could very well use it to fill the space station; that’s what people have been saying for years, but until such a thing does exist it’s all just idle speculation.
Only if by "commercialize" you mean "communize".