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Bethesda MD (SPX) Jan 11, 2011 What is "me-too-ism?" It is a malady that afflicts much of the space industry. It is a cultural phenomenon that keeps people and organizations doing what they have done over-and-over again. It is sometimes referred to as "doing business as usual." Many of us in the business want to perpetuate this culture. We have spent millions of labor-hours and hundreds of millions of dollars to protect this way of life. As a result, billion-dollar space systems and programs have failed to deliver on promises. The U.S. space program is quickly becoming "second-rate" and falling behind many other countries in terms of technologies, systems and successes. The Government has not been helping. Congress has successfully barricaded many of our products, services and technologies behind the "ITAR curtain." NASA is a rudderless ship. No one is in charge of national security space. Where are the leaders and the leadership? Innovation and creativity are almost nowhere to be found in government agencies and contractor organizations. There are a few bright spots in the commercial/entrepreneurial world. In the launch business, there is spaceX. In the satellite business, there are several small satellite developers. In the human spaceflight arena, there are many exciting activities. But, this is not enough to sustain American space leadership. The traditional space community needs to rethink its priorities, approaches and objectives to create a vibrant and exciting set of space goals for the future. Otherwise, there may be no future U.S. space leadership role.
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ISRO Cannot Afford FailuresNew Delhi, India (SPX) Dec 29, 2010 The Indian space research organization (ISRO) was not destined to end the year on a cheerful note. On Christmas eve its GSAT-5P satellite launch mission failed in the "first stage" of the launch process itself. This is the second biggest blow to ISRO this year. Earlier on April 15, 2010, its first attempt to use an indigenously made cryogenic engine to launch the GSAT-4 satellite failed. I ... read more |
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