"Why We Need NASA To Fix Its Problems And Lead America To Money-Making Opportunities in Outer Space"

The author is uninformed about some things (SLS has only ever been a temporary design designation ) and inaccurate about others (that NASA can move independent of Congress and the White House; legal restrictions on federal marketing; spinoffs, etc.), but the spirit of his piece is spot-on.

"The real point isn’t that NASA needs a purpose, it’s that we need NASA. There are few industries and domains that the United States owns, but we own far more of space exploration than we do, say, entertainment. It’s a source of national competitive advantage for us, and no amount of private space tourism shenanigans can take its place. Finding money-making opportunities in outer space is something every American taxpayer could support if we understood why we’d all benefit. We need NASA to become the engine for getting thousands of other companies, institutions, and individuals involved in space exploration and development. Making money should be the literal currency for achieving that purpose, which will spin-off all the science and social benefits that every other exploration initiative has yielded throughout history."

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathansalembaskin/2012/12/08/why-we-need-nasa-to-fix-its-problems-and-lead-america-to-money-making-opportunities-in-outer-space

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