National Leadership Beyond Earth
VoteJan: For United States Leadership in Space!
Jan Schneider will fight for increased United States federal-government involvement in space. Space activities are vital to our national security, global communications, scientific research, technological advancement and other interests.
Critical Astronaut Transportation
For a dramatic example, astronauts now typically travel to and from the International Space Station aboard the SpaceX Dragon 2. Crew Dragon is currently the only American human-rated orbital transport spacecraft. Cosmonauts travel on the Russian Soyuz capsule. Soyuz was the primary form of transportation for astronauts as well as cosmonauts until 2020, after the National Aeronautics and Space Administration retired the Space Shuttle Program in 2011. There is danger in our country being so critically dependent on Elon Musk and SpaceX—or else on Russia—for ISS astronaut transport.
NASA and Private Contractors
More generally, historically as much as 90% of NASA’s budget went to private contractors, mostly for the design and manufacture of rockets, spacecraft and associated equipment. NASA, however, maintained close oversight and operational control. Now NASA often privatizes operations as well.
Balancing Public and Private Roles
There are both pluses and minuses to this current modus operandi.
The Potential Benefit
Private companies may be able to provide low-Earth-orbit access more readily and less expensively, including transporting people and cargo to and from the International Space Station.
The Public-Interest Concern
Commercial ventures, by their nature, have more limited objectives and perspectives than a national space program responsible for security, science and long-term public interests.
The Billionaire Space Race
Moreover, in the last few years the “billionaire space race” has escalated. The suborbital flights of Jeff Bezos aboard Blue Origin and Richard Branson on Virgin Galactic captured global attention. These billionaire excursions were extensively touted as hailing a new era. They were also, however, widely criticized as ego-gratifying junkets costing billions that might be better devoted to improving conditions here on terra firma or fostering space activities of common interest. There is undoubtedly truth to all of these assertions.
VoteJan: For United States Leadership in Space!
