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Blue Origin/ Jeff Bezos and the future of space exploration

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  • 08-07-2010 11:24pm
    #1
    Deus Ex Machina
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,556 ✭✭✭


    Sorry if this has already been covered, but do you think that the future of space travel is in the hands of people like Jeff Bezos (Blue Origin)? With NASA's funding falling it seems to me that space travel/exploration could one day become a private industry. Obviously funding is an issue for private space exploration at the moment, but if it takes off the efficiency which government endeavours often lack could push space travel to unprecedented heights. What do you see as the main obstacles to privately funded space travel, and do you think it could ever be a viable alternative to a tax payer funded effort?

    Private space travel will one day rule 6 votes

    Yes
    0% 0 votes
    No
    100% 6 votes


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    #2
    Beeker
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 3,645 Mod ✭✭✭✭Beeker


    Deus Ex Machina wrote: »
    Sorry if this has already been covered, but do you think that the future of space travel is in the hands of people like Jeff Bezos (Blue Origin)? With NASA's funding falling it seems to me that space travel/exploration could one day become a private industry. Obviously funding is an issue for private space exploration at the moment, but if it takes off the efficiency which government endeavours often lack could push space travel to unprecedented heights. What do you see as the main obstacles to privately funded space travel, and do you think it could ever be a viable alternative to a tax payer funded effort?
    The future of space travel is with the private sector. The future of space exploration is with the goverment/public sector. Profit will drive the private space travel business but only when access to orbit becomes cheaper. The cost of this is the main obstacle at the moment and is the reason why the US is going in the wrong direction with manned flights into the future.
    Exploration will always or at least for a long time to come be funded by goverments. Private industry will not spend money on space exploration unless there is some reasonable chance of a payback.


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