Collaborations: Reports
Endorsements Coming In for Obama's Space Plan
"President Obama’s new plan for NASA, released February 1st, is endorsed by bipartisan groups representing governors, former legislators, astronauts, and former NASA senior managers and a half dozen editorial boards." See the Commercial Space Federation's links to all and the good news for commercial space.
Solar Power Satellites
The latest issue of the "Online Journal of Space Communication" is devoted to Solar Power Satellites. "Evidence is building that 2010 will be the year this turns from an idea to the beginning of reality."
New Course for Space Exploration Promotes Private Firms | WSJ
The Obama administration appears to be charting a new course for U.S. space exploration by promoting use of private companies to transport astronauts and ramping up international cooperation.
NASA Chief Onboard with Commercial Spaceflight, Suborbital Science & Innovation Prizes
Bolden says NASA must leverage the power and innovation of American industry and the American entrepreneur as it is tasked to do.
Innovation-Driven Economic Development Model
The Collaborative Economics organization prepared this report for the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, acting as subcontractor to the California Space Authority and their Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development grant (WIRED - Dept of Labor) to the State of California. Its content can be summarized by the quote below (from a report of the Strengthening America's Communities Advisory Committee) that is highly applicable to global collaboration for economic growth in commercial space.
"Globalization has fundamentally transformed the American economy. Regions - defined by economic rather than political boundaries - are the new building blocks of prosperity. In the 21st Century, America's communities will derive economic strength by acting regionally to compete globally. Innovation and entrepreneurship are the new engines of job creation, productivity, growth, economic prosperity and healthy communities" The Commercial Space Gateway is designed to help foster this strategy.
Global Space Exploration 2025: Europe's Propsectives for Partnerships
“Space exploration is an emblematic domain of space activities where traditionally only established space powers have been active. However, new actors are demonstrating great interest in it, principally for international prestige reasons, with an increasing number making ambitious plans. Complementing national endeavours, international cooperation has become a central element of most countries’ exploration strategy, since the costs of doing it alone are so great. Europe’s development into a fully fledged actor in space exploration requires a shared assessment of the future challenges, threats and opportunities with which it will be confronted in order to derive the best options for cooperation to lead and anticipate rather than follow and endure change.”
Industry Consensus Statement on Improved Access to Space
“What role can—and should—the US government play in supporting the development of low-cost, responsive space transportation (flexible, quick access to space)? That is the question tackled in a one-page statement released today that represents the consensus of over two dozen companies and organizations in the industry. The genesis of this document was a one-day meeting held at the request of the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) in Los Angeles last October immediately before the Space Frontier Conference. AFRL wanted industry feedback on what it can do to promote the development of responsive space options by entrepreneurial firms. Those participants later decided to compile their opinions into a single document, although not at the request, nor with the endorsement, of AFRL.”
NASA ARC Wins Funding for Innovative Technology Partnerships
“NASA’s Vision for Space Exploration calls for robots and humans to return to the moon, Mars and beyond. And NASA Ames’ innovative partnerships with industry and academia will ensure cost-effective development of the breakthrough technologies needed. Responding to a call from the NASA Headquarters’ Innovative Partnerships Program (IPP), Ames and its collaborators recently submitted eight proposals for seed fund consideration. On the basis of technical merit, feasibility and leveraging of internal and external resources, Ames’ proposals were selected for award in four technically diverse areas encompassing the Science, Exploration Systems, Space Operations and Aeronautics mission directorates.” These projects are all public-private partnerships between government (NASA), academia and industry.