[Moonbase-discuss] Re: NASA & privateers

[Samuel Coniglio]

Jon and everybody:

Sorry to hit everyone with all this heavy stuff, but this is the 
current state of the space program today.  NASA was once the great 
innovator and trend-setter.  Now it is merely another government 
bureaucracy struggling to keep its funding.

Randall and I want to educate and introduce you to the new generation 
of trend-setters in space.
Here are a few links to give you an idea.  Some of them do work with 
NASA in some capacity, but most work is being done on their own penny.

Mar Society-- Started by Robert Zubrin, this enthusiastic group is 
conducting live research in the Canadian Arctic to test the 
technology for a human settlement on the Red Planet.
http://www.marssociety.com

Experimental Rocket Propulsion Society (ERPS)-- Randall and I are 
members of this group. We have been developing and testing 
liquid-fueled rocket engines.  Our primary fuel is 98% pure Hydrogen 
Peroxide. Our ultimate goal is to build and fly a reusable amateur 
rocket ship to sub-orbit.
http://www.erps.org

Space Frontier Foundation-- I am an Advocate for this group.  We are 
an international body of people motivated to take the initiative and 
open the doors to living and working in space.  Several 
semi-independent divisions include: The Watch, for promoting 
observation and tracking of near Earth Asteroids; March Storm, and 
annual lobbying event to educate members of Congress; CATS prize, for 
promoting technologies that give us cheap access to space; and many 
more.
http://www.space-frontier.org

JP Aerospace-- Based in Sacramento, this group has successfully 
launched rockets via weather balloons.  They use a launch platform of 
several balloons lifting a truss that is  100 feet in diameter. The 
rocket launches from a cannister in the center of the platform.
http://www.jpareospace.com

X Prize-- This contest, based on the aviation contests that helped 
people like Charles Lindberg push the limits of aviation, is doing 
the same thing for space.  The first person, or group to fly 3 people 
to 100 km, twice in one week, shall win a $10 million prize. Over 
fifteen teams from  Russia to Argentina are participating.
http://www.xprize.org

Space Tourism Society-- I am an active member of this group, which is 
promoting research into a new and exciting field: passenger travel to 
orbit.  Dennis Tito, a businessman from LA, flew to the International 
Space Station in early May of this year. He is one of our associates. 
We are promoting conferences, simulations, and theme parks, that will 
educate the public and build up demand for a trip.  I want my mission 
to space!
http://www.spacetourismsociety.org

This is just the tip of the iceberg.  I haven't even mentioned 
LunaCorp, MIRCorp, XCOR, Kelly Space, Kistler, Pioneer, Rotary, 
SpaceDev, or the fact the Chinese will be launching their own space 
travellers, called Taikonauts, in early 2002.

I hope these items inspire you and want to learn more.

Sam


At 1:52 AM -0400 10/1/01, JonAlexandr@aol.com wrote:
>Randall Clague <rclague@rclague.net> wrote:
><< Can we keep partisan politics out of this, please? >>
>
>Uhm, why? --Jon
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