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In reply to the discussion: Scientists to Hold Bake Sale for NASA Saturday [View all]aint_no_life_nowhere
(21,925 posts)Last edited Sat Jun 9, 2012, 04:24 PM - Edit history (1)
and in the same latitude. The area is politically stable and sparsely populated. Florida is far from the equator and there are many countries located closer to it, with weather that is no more unreliable. The fact is, no corporations have been scrambling to step forward and partner with governments to start a space program from scratch because it would be too risky and investors don't like extreme risk. If it's not a good risk with a reasonably certain and quick return, they won't go for it. They'll put their money in better risks. There are certain things governments do best and those are the big risky things, like Rachel Maddow says in that MSNBC spot with the Hoover dam in the background: development of outer space, basic scientific research, the Internet, the interstate highway system. Privatization is not the solution to every endeavor. Private companies are good at cherry-picking the profitable activities once the infrastructure has been established. And the the reason I mentioned Elon Musk is that he's an unusual capitalist. He's a believer who isn't in it just for the profit. He couldn't find investors willing to risk their money in the development of a rocket. He was almost universally called a fool by the business community when he dumped several hundred million of his own fortune into the research and development of his rocket. And 'yes' he was trying to win a NASA contract. Once the rocket worked, the plan was to get funding.