With the favorable publicity of the Mars landing, major contractors say they are counting on President George Bush coming through to reinvigorate the business of space.
Contractors such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing say that the U.S. has lacked a clear sense of direction for the space program for the last 30 years. They are looking forward to President Bush's announcement this week in which he unveils his ambitious goals for the space program. Among the items expected in the announcement: returning to the Moon and sending astronauts to Mars.
The contractors say that not only must there be a clear vision, but there must be some money put behind it.
New investment in the U.S. space program could mean substantial new business for prime contractors like Lockheed Martin and Boeing. And it will also be good news for those small businesses which are subcontractors. A rising tide raises all ships — large or small.
This post first appeared on the author's weblog at Small Business Trends.
Article comments
1 - mike
Yet another example of how "free trade" is the cornerstone of our economy. Why, if you didn't know any better, you'd think this was Brazil circa 1975; companies giving "contributions" to the government and getting business in return, in environs shielded from the free market.
Of course, one difference is that the Brazilian government wasn't democratically elected. Oh, wait....
2 - Tom Johnson
If this results in a return to genuine space exploration, especially on new frontiers such as Mars, I'm all for it, and I don't really care what the conspiracy-laden minds think about it. We need to get back into this with both feet. It's embarassing that it's taken this long.
3 - Eric Olsen
I agree entirely: to infinity and beyond, next stop Uranus. Seriously.
4 - JR
Great! Except, um, how are we going to pay for it?
5 - Tom Johnson
Any way we can. This is one of those times when I wish I could aim my taxes at something, instead of dumping it into the big vat Congress digs into for everything. I want my money to go towards achieving this goal.
6 - JR
Yeah, me too. But here in the real world, this is just an election year initiative that won't go anywhere, just like when Bush Sr. gave a similar speech twelve years ago. I hate to be so cynical about the prospects of space exploration, but under the circumstances how can you be otherwise?
7 - duane
I think one of the problems is that there are no compelling reasons to push manned exploration. It's very exciting to think about having Moon bases and having geologists collecting Martian soil samples. But what do we do once we have people on a Moon base? Is a program of in situ planetary geology worth the investment? I would like to hear some good reasons to go.
8 - JR
I would like to hear some good reasons to go.
Because it's there.
9 - duane
That works just fine for mountaintops, but it might not have quite the appeal when it comes to trekking through interplanetary space. Generally, taxpayers have not funded expeditions to the Arctic or to formerly uncharted jungles. So, although "because it's there" works for me, it probably won't cut much wood when it comes to Congress.
10 - JR
I don't think any argument is going to get very far with Congress or the taxpayers with the deficit we're running right now. I worry that pressing the issue will poison the well for years to come.
When some of us say Bush is too dumb to be president, it's because of things like this. Maybe someone else can explain how this is a good move?