Re: Space Frontier Foundation Departs from the Space Exploration Alliance

[Damian Georgeff <damian@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Greetings Mark

Thanks for another interesting article; keep up the good work.

Are you aware of any plans, projects or groups that are working towards public and
open space use and travel without the involvement of NASA?

>From what I've heard over the years, NASA is more a hinderance to open space travel
and exploration than a help.

Be Well
Damian

Mark Reiff wrote:

> FYI,
>
> Can you say gullible? :)
>
> I told these guys 10 years ago that they were being used by NASA and their
> contractors, who would make hollow promises to appease the space groupies long
> enough to get their budget passed, and then would go back to either pounding the
> commercial guys or ignoring them, whichever did the most damage to their
> business plans.
>
> Of course some find it profitable to be used or worse to fool others into being
> used. :(
>
> "Space Frontier Foundation Departs from the Space Exploration Alliance"
> SFF Press Release
> http://www.space-frontier.org/PressReleases/2005/20051015SFF-SEAsplit.html
>
> : When we helped to form the Space Exploration Alliance it was with
> : great excitement that at last the various citizen and constituency
> : groups for space were coming together to support the opening of
> : space to humanity.
>
> : Our enthusiasm was centered on our shared belief that the
> : president's policy announced for NASA in early 2004 was an exciting
> : and bold vision that could be used to transform and energize our
> : national space efforts ? producing, after some 30 years of
> : stagnation and dead ends, a new goal-oriented direction for our
> : space agency ? which would "extend a human presence across our
> : solar system."
>
> : In other words, we signed on with SEA to support a decisive change
> : in our national space program that would create a new way of doing
> : things in space for America and result in the establishment of
> : humanity beyond the Earth. We did not sign on to support what the
> : SEA has become, a cheerleader for any and all NASA policies, with
> : no though to the wisdom and effectiveness of these policies.
>
> : Therefore, the SEA's unwillingness to say what even Mike Griffin is
> : willing to say shows a lack of conviction, maybe even a lack of
> : guts, to assert what we all know to be true.
>
> : Furthermore, the Foundation does not believe that the current plans
> : being put forth by the agency will meet this challenge ? we believe
> : they are both unsustainable and unaffordable. The story will come
> : out over time that NASA cannot fit this program in their budget,
> : and later the program will be hit by the inevitable large delays
> : and huge cost overruns. The SEA is not willing to advocate
> : solutions to these obvious problems to create a sustainable and
> : affordable approach.
>
> : The Foundation should not need to state the obvious ? but we will.
> : Being citizens of the richest and most powerful democracy on this
> : planet, we are all aware of the system that has made this nation
> : great ? free enterprise. Yet the SEA repeatedly missed
> : opportunities to support and promote ideas for inserting innovative
> : private sector approaches into NASA's plans, even though Mike
> : Griffin has not only suggested he is open to such ideas, but is
> : promoting them himself and asking for help. Instead, the SEA has
> : reverted to blind cheerleading for whatever approaches NASA has put
> : forward ? as tied to the old ways as such approaches may be, as
> : short-sighted as they may be, and as doomed to fail in the quest to
> : open the frontier as they are. In the end, this blindness, if it
> : does not kill the program in its infancy, will result in an
> : inevitable repeat of the dead end of Apollo ? which would be a
> : betrayal to future generations.
>
> : Therefore, we must sadly depart this organization. We cannot be
> : part of a fan club for a status quo that has failed so miserably
> : time after time in our nation's quest for space, resulting in
> : hundreds-of-billions of wasted taxpayer dollars. Rather, we join
> : with other organizations and groups that are willing to support and
> : promote a national space agenda that actually delivers on the
> : president's vision, by enrolling not only the government, but also
> : the private sector and the people themselves in a magnificent quest
> : to open the frontier. A few government employees walking on the
> : Moon in 2018 is not enough, and does not justify the investment of
> : over $100 Billion. Our goal is for tens, then hundreds, then
> : thousands of free citizens to lead the world outwards beyond the
> : Earth, not just as visitors, but also as citizens of the solar
> : system, our new and extended home. Mike Griffin has said his goal
> : is the permanent settlement of space ? and we intend to call him on
> : it, support him in achieving it, and to give him our ideas on how
> : to succeed.
>
> : We urge the SEA to reconsider its positions and to make it a top
> : SEA priority to insert more free enterprise and non-traditional
> : approaches in NASA's plans as the key to "sustainability" and
> : "affordability," which will be the key to the success of the Vision
> : for Space Exploration. And we look forward to working with the
> : individual organizations of the SEA on issues where we can find
> : common ground in the future.
>
> : Thank you,
>
> : Ad Astra per Ardua!
>
> : Bob Werb
> : Chairman of the Board, Space Frontier Foundation
>
> --
> Mark Reiff <markreiff@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
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