As we discuss, in our study of economic systems, the different roles of governments around the world, it is interesting to peer into a particular industry that was at the forefront of the sociopolitical battle between the world's largest superpowers in the 1980s. The United States government faced off in an all-out race to space with its ideological foil -- the Soviet Union. In that time, space was an industry that was only operated by large governments and included very little, if any, participation from private firms.
Although the Untied States seemingly "won" the space race, the current technology and launch capabilities possessed by the government have actually regressed from their peak. Thankfully, for the sake of human exploration and perhaps the survival of our gene pool, private companies are stepping in to fill this void left by government. Originally, the United States relied solely on the United Launch Alliance, a partnership formed by Boeing and Lockheed Martin to supply the government, but now have another private partner in SpaceX. Headed by billionaire entrepreneur, SpaceX is working to bring down the cost of space exploration in order to facilitate a mission to mars. In the short run, the American people are benefiting from a more efficient use of their tax dollars and in the long run, they might have the opportunity to vacation on Mars.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-01/spacex-launches-sensitive-mission-for-military-nails-landing
3 comments:
Really interesting topic here. I would wonder if the government would help SpaceX with a little funding or hinder it with certain rules and regulations in the future.
I think this is great for mankind. There is so much out there that has yet to be discovered, and it is very encouraging to see American companies lead the way. If this leads to a major breakthrough, many could potentially benefit.
This is a very interesting article and it would be interesting to see the new technology that the US will be able to develop. However, I am more interested to see how many people will be interested into going into to Mars or exploring space.
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