Monday, March 10, 2008

Dr. Griffin Paraphrased on Google Lunar X PRIZE

StarStryder has some comments by NASA Administrator Griffin at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. This is mainly about science, but commercial space comes up a few times. The comments are paraphrased by StarStryder, and I wasn't there, so I can't tell how closely the comments match what Dr. Griffin actually said:

He is outlining the tests of the new launch vehicles, launching from Kennedy and the New Mexico spaceport. He is challenging us to find uses for these new vehicles, and he is challenging us to find ways for NASA to stay first in space and first in the world.

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From depressing badges to Google Lunar X-Prize - How will NASA deal with a commercial winner? Will there be commercial contracts? asks someone from the commercial space race (he didn’t say which company). Griffin: Yes. And we’ll use a certain amount of government money to seed it and will hirer folks.

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Women: Thank you for restoring outer solar system missions and the servicing mission to Hubble. What is being down to increase access to launch vehicles and power systems?

Griffin: Paraphrasing - We’re developing new technologies. As for launch vehicles … government is not very efficient. I’m hoping that the commercial space agencies will drive innovation and lower costs. Government can be efficient under stress (when things get streamlined), but it can’t be successful when trying to meet the needs of everyone in all of government. For instance, the system of procurement is designed to be fair but not to be efficient. … We need to empower a group to efficiently run the space race. I hope that it will be NASA, but it may be the commercial agencies…