posted 12-15-2008 02:50 PM               

The United States stands at the threshold of a new era of human spaceflight. In its first term, the new administration will make the most important decisions in a generation about this endeavor. What are those decisions, and how should they be made in the best interests of the country?

To answer these questions we rethink the rationales for government-funded human spaceflight and then address current policy questions in light of those rationales.

posted 12-15-2008 02:59 PM               

I just pulled down a PDF version and look forward to reading it. Congratulations,

posted 12-15-2008 04:14 PM               

The white pager cited as primary objectives for Human Space Flight those things that can only be accomplished through the physical presence of human beings, have benefits that exceed the opportunity costs, and are worthy of significant risk to human life - within that context, the objectives listed included National pride, International prestige and Leadership. These are not quantifiable/tangible objectives and seem incongruant with the criteria as defined within the document (each can be achieved/demonstrated without a specific human presence in space); IMO they are more appropriately classified as beneficial perceptions derived from successful execution of actual hard objectives. There are tangible secondary objectives called out in the paper (Science, Economic development, New technologies, Education) but these are equated with benefits that do not merit significant risk.

As an example of a primary objective (worthy of significant risk and benefits that exceed opportunity cost) I would have recommended "Ensure the long term survivability of Humans and the nation state" (i.e. though establishment of a robust permanent presence in space).

Too, what criteria/value threshold was established to correlate which specific objectives merited a given degree of risk? Why wouldn't activities associated with human spaceflight that have the potential to SAVE future lives (these can include a subset of the scientific, technological and economic objectives) be assessed as worthy of placing astronauts in harms way if the anticipated payoff is many lives saved/improved down the road?