Category Archives: space industry

Regulating Business on the Moon

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Paul Spudis

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has decided to “authorize” operations on the Moon as part of the process of granting a license for the launch of a commercial payload to space. This launch-licensing scheme affords advance federal government recognition … Continue reading →

Posted in Lunar development, space industry, space policy | 32 Comments

The Demise of a Well-Informed Public

Posted on December 18, 2014 by Paul Spudis

Two recent pieces published in the bellwether of Beltway conventional wisdom, the Washington Post, compel me to respond. The first article focuses on the demise of the aerospace manufacturer North American Aviation (founded in 1928), the company that built the … Continue reading →

Posted in Lunar exploration, space industry, space policy, space technology, Space transportation | 41 Comments

Moon First – Mine the Asteroids Later

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Paul Spudis

I have a new post up at Air & Space on mining asteroids for water and platinum.  This piece extends some of the arguments I have made previously in my three-part series on lunar versus asteroid missions: Destination: Moon or … Continue reading →

Posted in Lunar development, planetary exploration, space industry, space policy, space technology | 21 Comments

Why We’re Not Going To Mars

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Paul Spudis

In our never ending debate over the direction of U.S. space policy, you’ve no doubt heard the claim that for a human mission to Mars, we have more technology available to us than President Kennedy had available to him when … Continue reading →

Posted in planetary exploration, space industry, space policy, space technology | 33 Comments

Surrendering in Space

Posted on March 29, 2014 by Paul Spudis

Last night the Fox News Channel ran a one-hour special report entitled Surrendering America.  The program focused on four major areas of national interest – ceding control of the Internet, reducing the U.S. military, restricting energy independence and our retreat … Continue reading →

Posted in space industry, space policy, space technology, Space transportation | 39 Comments

JFK and the Moon

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Paul Spudis

A new post up at the other blog, The Once and Future Moon at Air and Space. Comment here, if so inclined.

Posted in Lunar development, space industry, space policy, Space transportation | 12 Comments

A Short-sighted Proposal

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Paul Spudis

A budget-cut fantasy of many bureaucrats and other “deep thinkers” on space – the complete, final and utter termination of the human spaceflight program – is mooted in a recent report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).  Buried in the … Continue reading →

Posted in space industry, space policy, space technology | 25 Comments

Worldviews in Collision: A Tale of Two Presidential Science and Technology Advisors

Posted on October 6, 2013 by Paul Spudis

Of those who’ve paid attention to developments in the nation’s civil space program in recent years, few would argue that we have a stable program with regular accomplishment.  There are many reasons for this, some of which I have discussed … Continue reading →

Posted in Lunar development, space industry, space policy, space technology, Uncategorized | 48 Comments

End of a Model – and a Program

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Paul Spudis

A recent op-ed in Space News by Jim Cantrell makes an interesting point in regard to the ongoing change in (read: decline of) the American civil space program.  Postulating that the government-funded aerospace industrial complex developed to fight and win … Continue reading →

Posted in space industry, space policy, space technology, Space transportation | 98 Comments