NASA Every Week

Ares I rocket

NASA could open up a new wave of innovation in space exploration and terrestrial technology by lessening consequences of launch failure and making frequent launches available to engineers. If there were weekly rocket launches, there would be an astronaumical increase in opportunities for new communication, remote sensing, orbital debris mitigation, robotic exploration, photographic, and human spaceflight technology ideas to be tested. Our understanding of chemical rocketry and other, more advanced forms of aeronautic propulsion would inevitably advance and the United States government would do something inspiring for is citizens and for all the future.

I can see it now: medium-sized modern, economical workhorse rockets launching payloads three times a month, and making the once-impossible absolutely routine. After that, we’d have clusters of nanorockets flying up small probes and experiments every week. Each flavor of nanorocket would be optimized for the delivery of its own type of payload.

Weave the private sector into it! The R&D departments of Blue Chip companies, materials manufacturers, and aeronautic corporations should have stakes in every launch. Top-tier universities would have access for graduate projects and special engineering and computer science teams would be organized by NASA to help translate those project ideas into reality. Any projects that could yield results for commercial manned space travel would have top priority. Private interest will line up as soon as these weekly spots open up. NASA needs to both be a government sponsored organization, and be something valuable to business and a means of research production.

Sending tiny robots into space is not interesting to most people, but it is a fallacy to believe the road to innovation is paved by public excitement. It has never been important for citizens at large to be interested in a scientific field for research to commence; the only thing that is important is the amount of opportunity available for leaps made by single interests. A second reason why public interest does not matter is because the United States is not a democracy, funding is not dictated by citizens at large, but by the opinion of a few high-ranking individuals. Because space is not a hot button issue like socialized care, workers unions, immigration, or religion, politicians are rarely put into office based on their opinions on how funding should be delegated for space research and both major political parties in support of NASA.

Cruise ships depart from US ports daily, airliners depart every second, rail cars by the thousands are in motion, and automobiles even more so. Space travel and access to the next frontier must be made routine. By stepping up the launch rate and shaking hands with private interests, NASA can launch us into the next wave of scientific growth and technological innovation.

Lineage:  Slashdot <- NYT.