Space Cadette:

You are not that far off the mark in assuming that the kind of activities, such as going to the Moon and so forth require tax payer dollars. What I am saying however, is that the U.S. Government has got to be creative in spurring private industry to reach opportunity cost so that these space endeavors can turn a profit. Currently Rick Tumlinson is making the case that the U.S. Government is not doing enough to taylor the U.S. economy to allow private individuals and companies to cut through the red tape of getting into space.

Sure there is a lot of cost involved, but we shouldn't necessarily think that it is up to private companies to provide this highway to space themselves. Do we expect DHL to pave their own roads to ship their products?!! Rick and people like myself are saying that the U.S. Government needs to bring down the barriers that stand in the way of private capital reaching space.

We argue that the U.S. government should provide a transportation system to the Moon, first for NASA to set up an outpost to locate resources and set up utilities. Then acedemia and insdustry should attach their labs to NASA's. Let Government pay for the transportation to get their, at least initially to some extent, and let Government pay for the central hub of the base on the moon and let acedemia and industry pay for their own modules that are connected to the central base on the moon.

Please listen to Rick Tumlinson of the Space Frontier society:
http://www.thespaceshow.com/
Just go down to the Spaceshow Radio program of December 17, 2003 (Kitty Hawk day) and listen to what Rick Tumlinson has to say.