Innovations: Reports
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.
Small Business Innovative Research/Technology Transfer Programs & Aerospace
Blakey represents the Aerospace Industries Assn. consisting of about 300 aerospace manufacturing companies and thousands of small business subcontractor businesses who supply them with subsystem parts. Together they represent about 2 million well-paying jobs and the industry sector provides a positive trade balance of $57B, the largest of any U.S. manufacturing sector. The Federal Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs are highly important to these small businesses in developing next-generation innovations for this sector. SBIR grants provide R&D funds to 38 percent of all scientists and engineers in the U.S. and help produce 7 patents/day. Small businesses receive only 4.3% of Federal R&D funds and is critical to their ongoing innovation. In this testimony the AIA recommends program reauthorization with some suggested improvements that can positively impact the aerospace sector and U.S. competitiveness.
Commercial Avenues for Space Utilization | Dittmar Associates (2003)
“Interest in the commercial development and utilization of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) has increased significantly over the past ten years with the advent of relatively advanced technologies including telecommunication and satellite applications as well as high-resolution sensor development for topographical surveys, environmental impact studies and community planning. Access to space remains a challenge; both in the high cost to orbit and in the dearth of commercially-viable transport mechanisms which can fully address the varying analytical and physical integration needs of a burgeoning market. This paper addresses these concerns and posits an innovative business approach to commercial placement in LEO of scientific, engineering, and new product projects utilizing existing platforms and examines the promise of new commercial programs which will expand the resources available on-orbit.”
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.”
Challenges and Opportunities in Space Financing for Emerging Entrepreneurs
“The…dialogue between the young space entrepreneur and the space investor remains difficult. This is particularly true with regards to the market-stakeholders of the financing world, namely the Business Angels and Venture Capitalists. With the support of the European Commission (Innova Initiative) research was undertaken…to assess this problem and potentially develop suitable facilitating solutions. Using a unique and tailored database of space and hi-tech investors key elements of financing problems for start-up entrepreneurs were analysed with the use of questionnaires.” Better communication between space engineers, scientists and the financial community is essential. This can be assisted by developing an educational and supportive multi-disciplinary framework
Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Two Years Later
This report from National Academies Press can be downloaded as a pdf. It provides the results of a convocation of experts who developed the original report and with others met again to review any progress made since its release two years ago. The report focuses on major problems in the US with science and engineering education and innovation-focused R&D.
““A number of significant events have taken place since the Gathering Storm report was released,” said Norman Augustine, who chaired the committee that wrote the report. Unfortunately, he added, most of those positive events have occurred in other countries. Governments around the world are boosting their support of science and engineering research, invigorating precollege science and math education, and investing in institutions of higher education. Meanwhile, the United States has made little progress in strengthening its education, research, and innovation systems. “It would be a cruel outcome if the Gathering Storm report were to motivate others to become more competitive while we did little,” said Augustine. Emergence of the entrepreneurial space market will help move our country in the right direction as recommended by this seminal report.