The Future of Space Exploration...
NASA is still involved in current commercial operations, but only in a managerial role, overseeing and advising on current decisions. NASA has developed a close relationship with the main commercial companies, Boeing and Space X being the main ones. NASA wants to be in an oversight role advising and facilitating the development and design of new rockets and capsules that the companies produce . Managers also play a role in seeking safety and an effective design that fits within requirements previously set forth by NASA. To avoid “going native” managers rotate to different projects around the country with different companies on preplanned schedules.
The problem with managers “going native” is that when they do, become to attached to their specific program and become are more willing to take shortcuts to see their technology be used and sent into space. “Experience has shown that buyer representatives embedded with supplier development teams are subject to “bending the rules” to aid the development team which they begin to feel part of." NASA wants the managers to stay objective with their decisions and for them to do that, they have to remove the emotional attachment of long hours with people they work with for an extended amount of time. A panel of advisors has been created to help with objectivity and day-to-day operations of the commercial projects. They ensure that projects are on schedule and will be running effectively when they are utilized by the joint effort of NASA and that company. The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel is happy with companies taking the main role of LEO or Low Earth Orbit Projects and allowing NASA to focus on BEO or Beyond Earth Orbit Projects. The joint effort can be compared to a program the United States Army has worked where they with private protection companies to ensure maximum success of any given mission.
Creating commercial companies for space exploration can remove billions of dollars from NASA’s budget for only millions of dollars now. Currently NASA has awarded $270 million to developers for four spacecraft that are leaders to fly astronauts into space. NASA believes that “privately run crew transportation will cost less than a government run system allowing the agency to worry about making the rocket and developing the market for it.” In fiscal 2012 the cost for the commercial crew transport will be $ 850 million dollars. Projections until 2016 have that cost remaining the same at $850million. This is compared to the $1.6 billion in 2011 that would at least remain the same in each year until 2016 if the Space Shuttle Program continued. Individually, Boeing received a federal grant of $92.3 million for their CST- 100 capsule. $80 million was given to Sierra Nevada Corporation of Louisville, KY for their Dream Chaser spacecraft. $5 million was given to Space X of Hawthorne, California where their Dragon spacecraft has already completed orbital testing with NASA cargo.
Commercial Cargo is relatively inexpensive and there is about “$312 million in additional incentives for NASA’s domestic commercial cargo service providers.” One priority of NASA is to maintain safe access for humans to low Earth orbit as NASA fully utilizes the International Space Station. NASA wants to facilitate the reliable, orderly, cost effective commercial enterprise as soon as possible. They want to create a human presence in deep space with the development of a powerful new rocket and modern crew capsule that will propel ambitions for exploration to Mars or even further into the universe. For the future NASA wants to increase competition with more federal grant money to university’s as well as other private companies to engage the aerospace market and launch it with great economic success.