What company in their right mind would want to put up an SPS demonstrator right now? It makes no economic sense with the current price of electricity, state of the regulatory environment and chews up way too much of their discretionary research budget for any one year.

Even if someone did want to through the money around, who in their right mind would want to go through NASA to pursue their commercial interests? They are slow, don't respect profit motivations, and unresponsive to the demands of a real market. This was considered years ago when the Shuttle still had a commercial life, but the business cases never closed profitably.

Turn it all around and we have a chance of making things work. If there is one thing NASA CAN do well is come up with a demand for payloads. When they tend to trip is when they protect their inherent conflict of interest. They bring in payloads to keep the rocket building side funded, hence they compete with others who might otherwise provide the lift capacity needed.

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-al

An SPS demonstator is a perfect payload for HLLV. With the new nanotube and nanosheets coming on, large SPS systems simpler than older orbiter constructed concepts can be had.

At least one company is interested:

http://www.businessinsurance.com/cgi...ate=2005-03-20
http://www.spaceislandgroup.com/solarsat.html

Here at least is a space start up trying to work WITH Griffin and his HLLV mandate instead of trying to undermine him The Liftport folks might also find a ride and help with HLLV payloads.

I know that if I were Griffin--I would much rather work with someone on my side than waste my time with sub-orbital nonsense.

I can't imagine a realistic business plan for the Space Island Group that doesn't involve the input of a lot of government money to try the idea out. The business case for commercial SPS doesn't close yet. As a government funded research effort, I'm sure there is money to be made, but I care little about that side of the market. It will continue trudging along without my attention.

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-al

If you asked me about SPS even five years ago--I would have agreed with you. I want to see Gov't money put to this good use. Space should not just be a place for the well-off and their playthings. I want space industry TVA scale--and if that takes higher taxes--so be it.

A government work project? I'd argue that is what we already have and we don't even have to put people in space very often. OK... Now I'm back to thinking you are a socialist. 8)

Government is the most unreliable customer except for companies with no immediate money. They don't form 'industries' except for the utility style regional monopolies.

Why in the world do we need central planning now?! The Cold war is over.

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-al

But it is exactly **that** thinking which makes selling space so hard.

There is a wonderful book (by Apogee) called ATLAS: THE ULTIMATE WEAPON.

Atlas was one of the greatest--if not THE greatest--and most costly--program this country undertook.

There is a nice bit of the book about how local business did not believe that the Atlas program was going to be a big deal. Only after a motel was booked up did folks slowly begin to change their minds. (Pages 96-97).

From B.G. MacNabb:

"The locals didn't think anything was going to happen...strictly fly-by-night operations that wouldn't last."

The book goes on to detail what was called "Convair Cove," and how Convair made money selling Cocoa Beach a sewage treatment plant for housing there. But this was Air Force money in one of that service's better moments.

That is a fine example of how Government DOES work when it comes to space.

The problem was of local businessmen who thought too much like... businessmen.

We need more engineers running things.