Space Enterprise Beyond Nasa

The Challenger disaster, according to this provocative new book, signaled the end of NASA's domination of space--at least for commercial purposes. David P. Gump claims that after two decades of doldrums, the space industry is about to enter the new era of free enterprise. "NASA's tediously slow pace," writes Gump, "will be leapfrogged by dozens of private initiatives that will create a new orbital economy." Space Enterprise outlines the parameters for the development and growth of a new space industry fueled by the competitiveness of private enterprise. This historic shift from government to private leadership in space is evidenced in the many large and small companies already planning private space stations and battling to create their own launches at far lower costs than NASA's projects. The book begins with an engrossing account of the causes of the Challenger failure. Gump goes on to demonstrate how NASA's failure opened the door to space as the next economic frontier. On-orbit research labs will create new medicines, electronic crystals, and superconducting alloys. Solar power satellites, built with materials mined on the Moon, will provide low-cost nonpolluting electricity to cities on Earth. Space Enterprise is a map to the opportunities of the new space age.Gump, David P. is the author of 'Space Enterprise Beyond Nasa' with ISBN 9780275933142 and ISBN 0275933148.