Becoming Spacefarers: Rescuing America's Space Program

            What is a spacefaring society, and how do we get there from here? For much of the time since the end of the Apollo era, participants in the U. S. space community and members of the interested public have asked that question, and been frustrated by the inability to choose a coherent path for space exploration and development, make a commitment to its implementation over the long term, and fund it appropriately. That's because decision-makers typically aim for quick solutions to short-term needs, which conflicts with the requirements of space endeavors, which are high-risk, high-cost, long-term ventures where it's more important to get it right than to do it fast.
            Partisanship and parochialism play a large role in this process. The book traces how these factors have affected U. S. policy-making in the past few years on issues related to spacefaring goals, and challenges the conventional wisdom that says the space program is an area of bipartisan agreement.
            Arguments over the appropriate roles of the public and private sectors in space have prompted the mistaken and counterproductive view that an adversarial relationship between the two sectors is inevitable. The lessons we should have learned from U. S. history show that it doesn't have to be that way. A review of the history of U. S. transportation industries shows that a collaborative relationship is not only possible, but essential to the success of very large infrastructure development projects.
            Continuing our space efforts in the way we've been doing them in recent decades is not a viable option. We can't reach critical mass if infrastructure elements (space shuttle, space station, etc.) are introduced one at a time and don't survive long enough to constitute an integrated system. Broader participation by the private sector - as has been the trend in terrestrial infrastructure - is required to achieve parallel development of needed elements and long-term commitment to operations.
            So far, space applications have brought great benefits to society just by providing better ways to relay electromagnetic signals for communications, navigation, and remote observation. Space activities need to move more into the mainstream by expanding into new areas of products and services, bringing new benefits to Earth while at the same time preparing for the next stages of space exploration and development.